Knowledge, Attitude and Clinical Decision-Making Abilities of Pediatric Nurses Regarding Pain Management

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe knowledge, attitude and clinical decision-making abilities of pediatric nurses regarding pain management, and to find the factors that affect them.Methods: In this descriptive and analytical study, the participants consisted of 131 pediatric nurses who were employed in pediatric clinics of a university hospital and a state hospital in Manisa, Turkey. Data were collected by using the Nurse Description Form, the Questionnaire on Nurses’ Attitudes and Knowledge About Pain, and the Clinical Decision Making Questionnaire.Results: In the study, the mean (standard deviation) score of knowledge and attitude of pediatric nurses in pain management and patients with pain was 7.32 (7.00), and the scores of 45% of them were at an intermediate level. It was found that while variables such as age, occupation and years of working experience did not affect the total mean score of knowledge and attitude of pediatric nurses in pain management, educational background and the unit at which they worked affected it. Moreover, most of the pediatric nurses had sufficient information regarding pain diagnosis; 61.1% of them observed patients’ behavior while diagnosing the severity of pain, and 65.6% of them used a pain diagnosis scale to measure patients’ pain.Conclusion: As a result of the study, it was found that pediatric nurses had an intermediate level of knowledge and behavior regarding pain management and had sufficient knowledge about pain diagnosis and management.