Implementation and evaluation of a pain management core competency education program for surgical nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Pain Management
• Surgical Care

Background:

• Effective pain management is crucial in surgical settings.
• Gaps in nurses' knowledge and practice can impact patient outcomes.
• Core competency education is a potential strategy to address these gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a pain management core competency education program on surgical nurses.
• To assess changes in nurses' pain knowledge and nursing practice behaviors.
• To determine the effect on patients' postoperative pain intensity.

Main Methods:

• An 8-hour, multidisciplinary pain management core competency program was delivered.
• Teaching methods included didactic instruction and case study discussions.
• Nurses' knowledge was assessed using the Clinical Pain Knowledge Test (CPKT) pre- and post-intervention.
• Patient medical records were reviewed for pain management documentation and pain scores.

Main Results:

• Nurses' CPKT scores significantly increased post-program (45.6% to 54.2%).
• Improvements were observed in pain assessment documentation (59.6% to 74.9%) and use of pain intensity tools (81.8% to 95.4%).
• Intramuscular non-opioid use decreased (12.6% to 2.7%), and patients reported lower average worst pain scores post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• A pain management core competency education program enhances surgical nurses' knowledge.
• The program improves key pain management nursing practices.
• Implementation of this education leads to decreased postoperative pain intensity in surgical patients.