(830): Measuring nurses’ and physical therapists’ “ease of care” of patients using patient controlled analgesia delivery systems for post-operative pain

Abstract

Nurse and Physical Therapist Ease of Care (EOC) Questionnaires were developed to assess the extent to which different patient controlled analgesia (PCA) delivery systems are optimal for use in clinical practice in terms of convenience and ease of use from the perspective of healthcare providers. Each instrument consists of 22 items and covers three aspects of “ease of care:” satisfaction, and the time-efficiency and convenience with which patient care tasks are accomplished due to the delivery system (Time Consuming and Bothersome subscales, respectively). The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of these two questionnaires. Analyses are based on data from two clinical trials comparing the safety and efficacy of PCA delivered by Fentanyl HCl Patient Activated Transdermal system versus morphine IV pump after primary unilateral total hip replacement and non-emergent lower abdominal or pelvic surgery. Item and subscale analyses were conducted and internal consistency reliability was examined. Construct validity was assessed by examining the relationship between the subscale, total EOC, satisfaction scores, and select clinical measures. A total of 79 Nurse and 80 Physical Therapist questionnaires were included. Alpha coefficients were 0.81 or higher for all subscale and total scores. Total EOC and satisfaction scores were significantly correlated (p<0.001) for both instruments. The Bothersome subscale was significantly correlated to the number of non-routine events and Satisfaction was significantly correlated to patient-reported pain intensity for the Physical Therapist questionnaire. Results indicate that “ease of care” is important to nurse and physical therapist satisfaction and empirical examination provides evidence of reliability and preliminary validation of the EOC instruments. The EOC instruments have important implications for capturing nurses’ and physical therapists’ perceptions of workload and burden of care. The instruments will be useful in future studies of alternative patient controlled analgesia systems for the management of post-operative pain.