Pain management instruction in nursing curricula

The persistent problem of inadequate assessment of pain, undermedication for pain by nurses, and reports of nurses themselves that they are unprepared to manage various types of pain provided direction for this study. The purpose was to investigate time allocated to pain content, the nature of the theoretical content and clinical experiences in nursing curricula, and faculty satisfaction with their graduates' preparation for pain management in baccalaureate and associate degree programs. The 80% response rate included 177 associate degree and 174 baccalaureate nursing programs. No significant differences between associate degree and baccalaureate programs for the amount of time allocated to pain content, pharmacological management of pain and nonpharmacological pain relief methods were found. Nonpharmacological methods are introduced to students, but most programs do not provide in-depth instruction. The majority of respondents indicated they were satisfied with their graduates' preparation for pain management, but less satisfied with the amount of time allocated to pain content in the curriculum. Implications for education and research are discussed.