[A Reappraisal of Pain Using a Nurses' Professional Study Circle]

Pain relates to the highly personal and subjective experience of feelings and emotions. Patients are often misunderstood because of language-related limitations and the conditions of their disease.

In this research, a professional study circle was held to help nurses reconstruct their understanding of patient pain to enhance their awareness / empathy for differences in pain perception between others and themselves and to improve their ability to provide professional, individualized care.

Nine nurses were invited from the urology department to join the developed professional study circle. We spent one year and a half reading "Listening to Pain: Finding Words, Compassion, and Relief" and held a sharing and discussion roundtable meeting every month. The study circle included: (1) assigned reading and the appointment of a leader on rotation to direct the sharing and discussion, (2) presentation of clinical cases related to the reading, (3) discussions of how to apply what they had learned in clinical practice, and (4) an interview of study circle members and a full analysis of their reflections and changes of view regarding pain perceptions.

After a close reading and guided discussions, these nine nurses began to change their perceptions of pain and, in general, passed through three stages, including: (1) cast doubt on the authenticity of patient expressions of pain because of stereotyped biases; (2) develop a new empathy based on careful listening; (3) providing individualized care and experiencing professional growth. After successfully transiting through these stages, the nurses held a more profound understanding of their patients, practiced a more sensitive use of language, and reflected an enhanced professional ability to assess pain.

This professional study circle successfully helped the nurses internalize a more empathetic understanding of pain and exhibit greater skill in designing individualized care for their patients.