Gender Differences among Nurses in Managing Arterial Puncture-Related Pain: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Disparities
• Pain Management

Background:

• Healthcare delivery can vary based on the gender of patients, researchers, and clinicians.
• Understanding potential gender-based differences in nursing practice is crucial for equitable patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender-based differences in nursing pain management during arterial puncture for blood gas analysis.
• To determine if nurses' gender influences the utilization of pain-reducing interventions.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted in Castilla-la Mancha, Spain.
• Data were collected from nurses in the public health system via questionnaire over four months.
• Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between nurse gender and pain intervention use.

Main Results:

• A significantly higher proportion of male nurses (45%) reported using pain-reducing interventions compared to female nurses (30%).
• Male nurses were also more likely to have specific training in pain management (45.9% vs. 32.4%).
• The adjusted probability of male nurses using pain-reducing interventions was 71% higher than that of female nurses.

Conclusions:

• Gender differences exist in the management of pain associated with arterial punctures performed by nurses.
• These findings suggest a need to address potential gender-based disparities in nursing pain management strategies.