Exploring Pediatric Procedural Pain Assessment Practices, Knowledge, and Attitude among Nurses in a Tertiary Health Facility in Ghana

Abstract

Background: Effective management of procedural pain is important for general patient care and quality of life. The study aimed at exploring paediatric procedural pain assessment practices, knowledge, and attitude among nurses at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Methods: An exploratory qualitative design was used in the study. This research was conducted among nurses at the Child Health Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Purposive sampling technique was used to select participants until data saturation was reached. The qualitative data was collected using a semi-structured interview guide via direct interviews and tape recorded. Data was transcribed and analysed manually using thematic content analysis. Findings: Data saturation was achieved after the interview with the 20th respondent in the study hence a total of twenty nurses participated in this study. Most 17 (85.0%) of the nurses were females. Majority 8 (40.0%) were aged between 31-40 years. The mean age of the participants was 35.2±7.5 years. Three themes emerged out of the study namely; knowledge and attitude towards procedural pain, assessment of procedural pain, and interventions for lessening procedural pain. Conclusion: Nurses in this study had limited knowledge about procedural pain management and assessment. Nevertheless, most of the nurses expressed positive attitude and willingness to be trained in procedural pain management.