Emergency Nurses' and Physicians' Attitudes Toward Patients With Chronic Pain and Staff-Patient Relationship Levels.

Introduction: Chronic pain often brings patients to emergency departments. Management of chronic pain is influenced by health care providers' attitudes. The first aim of the study was to measure the attitudes of emergency nurses and physicians toward patients with chronic pain in relation to the nurses' and physicians' individual and professional characteristics. The second aim was to measure the differences in attitudes between emergency nurses and physicians at varying levels of interaction with patients.

Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 201 nurses and 140 physicians employed in the emergency department of public and private hospitals in Turkey. Data were collected using a descriptive characteristics form, the Health Personnel-Patient Relationship Survey, and the Attitudes Toward Patients With Chronic Pain Scale.

Results: Nurses demonstrated significantly more positive attitudes toward patients with chronic pain than did physicians. Nurses and physicians who reported job satisfaction in the emergency department had significantly higher scores in both their attitudes toward patients with chronic conditions and the staff-patient relationship levels. Among nurses, sex and willingness to work in the emergency department were significantly associated with attitude scores, whereas, among physicians, weekly working hours were a significant factor. A strong positive correlation was observed between the 2 scales in nurses (r = 0.615) and a moderate correlation in physicians (r = 0.543) (P < .001).

Discussion: Emergency nurses and physicians demonstrated attitudes and staff-patient interaction levels that were slightly above average. Positive attitudes of emergency nurses and physicians were associated with better interactions with patients. Factors such as job satisfaction and work conditions influenced the attitudes and interactions of emergency nurses and physicians. Enhancing these attitudes and interactions among providers may improve chronic pain care in emergency settings.