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Published on: July 7, 2023
Promoting Effective Pain Assessment: A Quality Improvement Project
1Dorothie S. Durosier Mertilus.
Background:
Pain management is a major healthcare concern, particularly for patients with cancer. About 51.6 million American adults experience chronic pain, with 17.1 million experiencing high-impact chronic pain. The staff nurses on the surgical oncology unit of a large community hospital did not fully adhere to updated evidence-based practice guidelines for pain management.
Objectives:
The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve pain assessment practices on the surgical oncology unit of a 471-bed hospital.
Methods:
Forty-nine nurses participated in this quality improvement project implemented across a three-month period. The intervention consisted of pre- and post-tests, two identical educational training sessions offered at different times for scheduling flexibility, interviews, and chart audits. The pre-/post-test design evaluated nurses' knowledge of pain assessment before and after the intervention.
Findings:
This project found that expanding nurses' knowledge about pain assessment (t = 8.03, p < 0.001) resulted in increased adherence to national standards for pain management, including better charting practices. The pain assessment documentation rate increased from 18% to 29%.
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