Pain management education needs for nurses caring for older adults undergoing total knee replacement

Introduction

Effective postoperative pain management is necessary to improve the outcomes of older adults undergoing total knee replacement (TKR). Discovering what registered nurses (RNs) need to know about pain management may be beneficial to improving the quality of care.

Aim

The study aimed to identify the information needed to develop pain management education for RNs caring for older adults undergoing TKR.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study. Three focus groups were conducted with 22 staff RNs with experience caring for older adults undergoing TKR at a supra-tertiary care hospital in Bangkok, Thailand; one focus group was conducted with five members of the hospital's nursing pain management committee. Data were analyzed using content analysis.

Results

Two themes relevant to pain assessment education were pain assessment and pain management. Subthemes of pain assessment included challenges in cognitively impaired older adults, inadequate knowledge and misconceptions, and re-assessing pain. Three subthemes of pain management were created, including knowledge of pain medication, new trends in pharmacological pain management and devices, and non-pharmacological pain management using cold compression.

Conclusions

RNs require current information about pain management to provide effective postoperative care for older adults undergoing TKR. The findings may be used in pain management education to update RNs’ knowledge of pain management.