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Do No Harm: Nursing Students' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Pain Management
Colleen Johnston-Devin1, Lisa Beccaria2, Marina Cousins3
1School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia..
Summary
Australian nursing students show improved pain management knowledge throughout their studies, but significant gaps remain, particularly in medication knowledge. Further curriculum development is needed to enhance pain assessment and management skills.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Pain Management
- Healthcare Assessment
Background:
- Nurses are crucial in patient pain assessment and management.
- Limited data exists on Australian undergraduate nursing students' pain knowledge and attitudes.
- This study addresses the gap in understanding student preparedness for pain management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the knowledge and attitudes towards pain management in undergraduate nursing students.
- To identify specific areas of strength and weakness in student pain management education.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted with 150 undergraduate nursing students from three Australian regional universities.
- The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) tool was used for data collection between May and September 2023.
- Data analysis focused on comparing KASRP scores across different year levels.
Main Results:
- Student scores on the KASRP tool increased significantly from Year 1 to Year 3.
- A small percentage of students achieved the 80% pass rate, indicating widespread knowledge deficits.
- Medication knowledge was a particularly weak area identified in the survey results.
Conclusions:
- Nursing students' pain knowledge and attitudes generally improve during their undergraduate education.
- Significant knowledge deficits persist, potentially impacting effective pain assessment and management in clinical settings.
- Findings can inform nursing educators and curriculum developers in creating targeted educational strategies.
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