Effects of IMB-Based Education on Pain Management in Nursing Students

This study aimed to determine whether nursing students who received nonpharmacological pain management education based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model used nonpharmacological pain management methods more frequently than those who received traditional lecture-based education and whether they achieved higher scores on the components of the IMB model.

A two-group, quasi-experimental, posttest-only design was employed.

The study population consisted of 210 nursing students who were enrolled in the Surgical Nursing course and were participating in clinical practice (intervention group [IG] = 73; control group [CG] = 70). Students in the IG received a structured educational intervention based on the knowledge, motivation, and behavioral skills components of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model for nonpharmacological pain management, whereas those in the CG received traditional lecture-based education. Data were collected using valid and reliable measurement tools assessing knowledge, attitudes, perceived social support, self-efficacy, health perception, and nursing care planning skills.

The proportion of students who used nonpharmacological pain management techniques was significantly higher in the IG than in the CG (p < .001). In addition, students in the IG had significantly higher scores for knowledge, individual motivation (attitudes), and behavioral skills (self-efficacy) than those in the CG (p < .001).

Nursing students who receive non-pharmacological pain management education based on the IMB model may be more likely to use non-pharmacological pain management methods through improvements in their knowledge, motivation, and behavioral skills. Clinical Implications Integrating IMB model-based, practice-oriented education into nursing curricula may support students' competence and application of nonpharmacological pain management methods in clinical practice.