The Effect of a Nurse-Led Training on Knowledge of Pain Assessment and Management Among Surgical Nurses, South-West, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Pain is inevitable in most invasive procedures, which include surgery. Patients experiencing pains expect to have it relieved by their caregivers, most especially nurses. However, these expectations are not often met. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of pain assessment and management training programs on surgical nurses’ knowledge about pain in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife. Material and Methods: The study utilized a one-group quasi-experimental pre and post-test design. The general formula was used to determine the sample size of 108 respondents out of a total population of 248 surgical nurses. A Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ) and a Text Paper on Knowledge and Management of Pain (TPKMP) were used to assess the surgical nurses’ knowledge of pain and management pre and post-intervention. Descriptive and inferential statistics (t-test) were used for data presentation and analysis via SPSS version 20 at a 0.05 level of significance. Results: Research findings revealed significant differences between pre and post-intervention knowledge on pain assessment (p = 0.007), knowledge on non-pharmacological management (p= 0.00) and knowledge of pharmacological management of pain (p = 0.00), respectively. Conclusion: Nurses are concerned with assessing the patients´ subjective experiences and have a moral obligation to care for the patients in pain. Therefore, the study recommended that regular training and seminars on pain assessment and management should be organized for nurses to render services that ensure comfort and optimal health outcomes.