The Knowledge, Attitudes, Performance, and Barriers of Nurses to Pain in Oncology Settings: A Multi-Center Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine knowledge, attitudes, performance, and barriers to pain management of nurses working in oncology settings. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 222 nurses in five tertiary hospitals in Korea. The period of data collection was 1 September to 30 November 2018. Participants were surveyed using the Nurse Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (NKASRP), a pain management performance, and barriers questionnaire. The data were analyzed through independent t-test and One-way ANOVA, and the post-hoc test was conducted with the Scheffé test using the SPSS 23 program. Results: According to the study, oncology nurses’ knowledge and attitudes to pain received a score of 26.4±3.77 (out of 41 points) and the performance received a score of 3.24±0.35 (out of 4 points). Among the barriers to pain management, time constraints were the most frequent medical staff-related factor, and reluctance to take opioids was the most frequent patient-related fac-tor. In terms of factors related to the health care system, strict regulation of opioids was the most significant. There was a significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitude of pain management and performance of pain management. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that structured education programs to be developed and implemented to en-hance knowledge, attitudes, and performance on pain.