Attitudes to and knowledge about pain and pain management, of nurses working with children with cancer: A comparative study between UK, South Africa and Sweden

Abstract

Pain is among the most common effects of cancer and its treatment. Children and young people with cancer often consider pain from procedures and treatment to be the worst aspect of their illness. This study aimed to i) identify and describe knowledge and attitudes to pain and pain management amongst nurses working with children with cancer and ii) compare the perspectives on pain and pain management of nurses from UK, South Africa and Sweden. 106 nurses working with children with cancer in UK, South Africa and Sweden completed Salanterä's (1999) questionnaire on nurses' attitudes to pain in children. Nurses had good levels of knowledge and positive attitudes to pain management, with Swedish nurses' having higher levels of knowledge and a more positive attitude to pain management than nurses from UK or South Africa. A high level of knowledge was correlated to a more positive attitude to pain management. Knowledge levels need to be improved to ensure more positive attitudes to pain management, especially for nurses in South Africa. Swedish nurses' level of knowledge about non-pharmacological pain management strategies has scope for improvement. British nurses may need to focus more on the sociology and psychology of pain.