Abstract
There are concerns about adequacy of nurses' knowledge and skill in effective pain management since effective pain management promotes early recovery after surgery. This study explores factors that accounted for Ghanaian nurses' inadequate knowledge of postoperative pain management using a focused ethnographic design for data collection at a tertiary teaching hospital in Ghana. Fourteen nurses designated as key informants with different backgrounds as nurse educators and leaders were purposively sampled to participate. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews; all interviews were conducted in English, audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. The study revealed that nurses' inadequate pain management knowledge might have resulted from curriculum gaps during training; inadequate clinical supervision, study days, and workshops for practising nurses; lack of funding for organising regular workshops; and, negative attitudes of nurses whereby new information learned at workshops was not readily applied in clinical practice. It was concluded that nursing curricula at all levels of training in Ghana should incorporate credit-bearing courses on pain management, and appropriate pain management education programmes should be instituted for practising nurses. Regular monitoring and evaluation of the impact of such education programs is required.
Highlights
Nursing education has evolved to meet the changing demands of health care and technological advancement
Previous research has demonstrated that when nurses are knowledgeable about pain management, it results in effective pain control (Zhang et al, 2008)
Participants reported that the time allotted in such courses where pain medication was taught was inadequate to give detailed attention to particular analgesics: ‘Pain management is not a course on its own at all levels of training of nurses in this country; it is taught as part of other courses.’ (SP1)
Summary
Nursing education has evolved to meet the changing demands of health care and technological advancement. The advanced practice nurse with specialist knowledge in pain management offers effective pain control services to patients (Sawhney & Sawyer, 2008). Previous research has demonstrated that when nurses are knowledgeable about pain management, it results in effective pain control (Zhang et al, 2008). Within the surgical context postoperative patients in many countries including Ghana continue to experience moderate to severe pain after surgery (CleggLamptey & Hodasi, 2005; Qu et al, 2008). Studies have reported that nurses underestimate patients’ pain, do not believe patients are in pain, and do not administer the prescribed dosage of analgesics due to fear of addiction (Aziato & Adejumo, 2013; Rejeh et al, 2009). Ineffective postoperative pain management poses problems for patients such as pulmonary complications that retard their recovery (Pasero & McCaffery, 2011)
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