[Self-evaluation of knowledge and competence with regard to the treatment of pain]

In a survey completed at our hospital, 519 doctors and nurses were asked to evaluate their own knowledge and competence with regard to the treatment of various types of pain, including non-pharmacologic treatment methods. A total of 473 responded to the questionnaire. In the study, cancer-related pain and pain from causes other than cancer were assessed in separate population groups. Of the doctors, 58% evaluated their knowledge of nociceptive pain as very good or fairly good. The corresponding findings for neuropathic pain were 31%, for psychological pain 27%, for social pain 25% and for spiritual and existential aspects of pain 22%. The nurses scored lower than the doctors on knowledge and competence in relation to nociceptive and neuropathic pain (32% and 18% respectively), and higher on treatment of the psychological and social aspects of pain (44% and 36% respectively). Many of the doctors and nurses evaluated their knowledge as fairly poor or very poor with regard to nonpharmacologic treatment methods. In both professions 80% answered that depression was seen fairly often or very often among these patients.