Determinants of pain assessment by nurses

In this replication study pain assessment and patient perception by nurses was studied in relation to patient characteristics and nurse characteristics. Nurses were randomly assigned to one of 24 descriptions of a hypothetical patient of constant age and unspecified sex. The 24 descriptions varied by duration of pain, presence of a physical pathology, diagnosis category, and depression symptoms. Results showed that third- and fourth-year student nurses of a hospital based program, and registered nurses attributed more pain when test results of physical pathology were positive. Third- and fourth-year student nurses also attributed more pain to depressive patients. No differences were found with respect to pain duration and diagnostic category. Nursing experience seems also to be important in pain assessment. First-year student nurses attributed less pain to the hypothetical patient than third- and fourth-year student nurses and registered nurses. In addition they perceived the patient as more positive when physical pathology was present or when no symptoms of depression were present.