Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pediatric Pain Management in Western Australia

Despite clinical guidelines, suboptimal pediatric pain management persists. A local audit found poor guideline compliance. Inadequate knowledge is a recognized barrier to the delivery of evidence-based care. The aim of the study was to investigate nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management at an Australian tertiary pediatric hospital. Design, Setting, Participants and Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive study using the Pediatric Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire (Revised) was distributed to 590 nurses in an Australian pediatric hospital.

The mean knowledge score (n = 201) was 77.56 out of 100 (range 49.82-94.16, standard deviation [SD] 8.55); mean attitude score (n = 229) was 72.46 out of 100 (range 33.33-93.33, SD 11.76). Significant differences in mean knowledge scores were found between nurses' designations (p = .018), with the greatest mean difference (MD) between clinical nurses and enrolled nurses (10.5; p = .002). Nurses with experience in critical care had significantly higher mean knowledge scores (MD 3.1; p = .012). Senior registered nurses had the most positive mean attitude score (82.4, SD 6.2), which was significantly higher than clinical nurses (73.77, SD 10.0), registered nurses (71.64, SD 12.6), and enrolled nurses (68.89, SD 8.8) (p < .05). Nurses with specialist pediatric qualifications had significantly more positive attitude scores (mean 75.65, SD 11.6) than those without (mean 70.86, SD 11.7; p = .005). However, 51% of respondents believed that children tolerate pain better than adults do.

Although nurses' overall knowledge and attitude toward pediatric pain were among the highest reported, areas for targeted education using in-service education and workshops were identified alongside a need for exploration of the impediments to providing best care.