Effect of Educational Interventions for Improving the Nurses' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Pediatric Pain Management: A Aystematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions in improving nurses' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding pediatric pain management.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources

A comprehensive search was conducted in MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane database, Google Scholar, and trial registries, supplemented by bibliography searches.

Review/Analysis Methods

This review included randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized trials, and quasi-experimental trials with control groups. Eligible studies involved nurses (professionals or students) caring for pediatric patients and featured any form of educational intervention for pain management. Pooled effect estimates were calculated using a random effects model, and heterogeneity was assessed using the I-squared statistic.

Results

The pooled results demonstrated a significant improvement in nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward pediatric pain management postintervention, with a Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) of 2.41 (95% CI: 0.58-4.23). Additionally, the pooled results indicated a higher likelihood of effective pain medication administration (OR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.21-3.27). However, there was no significant difference in the utilization of pain assessment tools (OR = 19.85; 95% CI: 0.29-1352.98). Pooled OR was 3.42 (95% CI: 1.93-6.07), showing significantly higher odds of ability to administer nonpharmacological interventions. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings.

Conclusions

Educational interventions significantly improve nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and ability to administer both pharmacological and nonpharmacological pediatric pain management interventions.