Importance of preemptive analgesia and pain assessment as perceived by intensive care unit nurses

The importance and efficacy of Preemptive analgesia in reducing pain for patients undergoing painful procedures still debatable and seldom investigated. The aim of this study was to describe intensive care nurses' perception of the importance of pain assessment and Preemptive analgesia prior painful procedures in critical care settings in Jordan.

A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. The sample consisted of 300 registered nurses recruited from 22 intensive care units in Jordan. The data was gathered using a self-administered questionnaire.

The results showed that nurses considered pain assessment moderately and extremely important for surgical (n = 263, 87.7%), burn (n = 261, 87%), and trauma patients (n = 256, 85.3%). The majority of nurses rated pain assessment as moderately to extremely important for invasive line placement 80.3%, wound care 78.3%, and drain removal 69%. Nurses assessed the need for Preemptive analgesia more frequently before wound care 70.7%, and before invasive line placement 69.7%. Nurses perceived pain assessment for Preemptive analgesia as less priority for unconscious patients.

Effective assessment and management of pain for critically ill patients is mandatory. Thus, it is important to improve nurses' knowledge regarding the Preemptive analgesia and its effects in relieving post-procedural pain in critically ill patient. It is recommended to ensure proper clinical training on how to assess critically ill patients and auditing system.