Challenges of Nursing in Pain Management: A Qualitative Study

Pain management is a global health problem. A large number of patients still suffer from pain despite the increasing development of science and technology, and nurses are frequently exposed to patients' pain and play a crucial role in pain management. This study aimed to explore nurses' challenges in managing pain in hospitalized patients.

This qualitative study was conducted in Arak (one of the central cities of Iran). Researchers used a purposive sampling technique, interviewing 14 clinical nurses, and continued until data saturation. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The qualitative content analysis was used to analyze data.

The challenges clinical nurses face in managing patients' pain vary depending on their understanding, knowledge, background, and experience. Three main themes were extracted: (1) Nurses' strategies for pain management, including maximum effort for patient comfort, disengaging without consequence, and ignoring patients' pain and suffering; (2) factors affecting pain control, including individual, organizational, and environmental factors; and (3) loss of professional ethics.

The results of the present study showed that nurses face many challenges in managing patients' pain and acting in accordance with their ethical and professional obligations.

It is suggested that managers should employ a strategy encompassing the auditing of effective pain management and the promotion of ethical behaviors among nurses caring for patients in pain.