Lessons learned in implementing a staff education program in pain management in the acute care setting.

With the release of Acute Pain and Cancer Pain Guidelines from the federal government, many healthcare agencies will be instituting programs to improve pain management. The authors describe a pilot project in acute pain management that did not yield desired results. On the basis of this experience and through a review of the literature, information is provided to staff development educators about problems and issues in planning and executing a program in pain management using structure, process, and outcome as a framework.