Evidence on KASRP Use to Assess Nurses' Pain Management Knowledge and Attitudes: A Scoping Review

To map and critically examine the use of the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) as a research and clinical tool for assessing nurses' pain management knowledge and attitudes in high-complexity hospital settings.

Scoping review guided by Joanna Briggs Institute methodology.

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, CINAHL, LILACS, and CUIDEN were searched for studies published between 2005 and 2025.

Data were synthesized narratively and summarized using descriptive tables and mapping.

Of 1,510 screened records, 34 studies from 15 countries were included. Most studies used the original English KASRP (n = 25), while nine applied translated or culturally adapted versions. Overall, nurses demonstrated moderate to low knowledge and mixed to negative attitudes, particularly regarding opioid use, pain assessment, and scale utilization. Higher academic level was more consistently associated with improved scores than years of clinical experience. Psychometric evaluation was limited; Thailand reported the most comprehensive validation, whereas minimal or no testing was identified in China, Ghana, and Italy. Key gaps included inadequate cultural adaptation, limited use in pediatric and emergency contexts, and few intervention-based studies.

Although widely applied, the KASRP is frequently used without adequate validation or cultural adaptation, limiting interpretability. Persistent knowledge deficits indicate the need for targeted education and institutional support to strengthen evidence-based nursing pain management.

Culturally validated pain assessment tools are essential to guide education, improve clinical decision-making, and enhance pain management quality in high-acuity nursing practice.