Oncology Nurses Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Cancer Pain Management.

Shahdad Shahriary,Fariba Mir Vakili,Seyed Mostafa Shiryazdi,Seyed Ali Shiryazdi,Amir Arjomandi,Naiemeh Mostafaie,Fatemeh Haghighi

doi:10.7314/apjcp.2015.16.17.7501

Abstract

Oncology nurses play a crucial role in cancer pain management and must be highly informed to ensure their effective practice in the cancer setting. The aim of this study was to determine the baseline level of knowledge and attitudes of oncology nurses regarding cancer pain management. A cross-sectional survey research design was employed. The sample comprised 58 cancer nurses working in Shahid Sadoughi hospital, Yazd, Iran. The ''Nurses Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain'' (NKAS) tool and a demographic form were utilized to ascertain the knowledge and attitudes of oncology nurses working in oncology settings. The average correct response rate for oncology nurses was 66.6%, ranging from 12.1% to 94.8%. The nurses mean score on the knowledge and attitudes survey regarding pain management was 28.5%. Results revealed that the mean percentage score overall was 65.7%. Only 8.6% of nurse participants obtained a passing score of 75% or greater. Widespread knowledge deficits and poor attitudes were noted in this study, particularly regard pharmacological management of pain. The present study provides important information about knowledge deficits in pain management among oncology nurses and limited training regarding pain management. Our results support the universal concern of inadequate knowledge and attitudes of nurses regarding cancer pain. It is suggested educational and quality improvement initiatives in pain management could enhance nurses knowledge in the area of pain and possibly improve practice.

Highlights

Cancer pain can have various causes ranging from direct tumor invasion, metastasis, and other disease processes to pain that is not related to the cancer diagnosis (Eftekhar et al, 2007; Yaakup et al, 2014)
Pain is a prevalent problem for the majority of those hospitalized for cancer and patients’ satisfaction with their pain management can improve when patients feel that their pain needs are being addressed (Sternman et al, 2003)
It is reported that 44% of cancer patients were experiencing moderate to greater than moderate pain, but only 41% of those patients experiencing pain were unsatisfied with their pain management

Summary

Introduction

Cancer pain can have various causes ranging from direct tumor invasion, metastasis, and other disease processes to pain that is not related to the cancer diagnosis (Eftekhar et al, 2007; Yaakup et al, 2014). Pain is a prevalent problem for the majority of those hospitalized for cancer and patients. The aim of this study was to determine the baseline level of knowledge and attitudes of oncology nurses regarding cancer pain management. The nurses mean score on the knowledge and attitudes survey regarding pain management was 28.5%. Our results support the universal concern of inadequate knowledge and attitudes of nurses regarding cancer pain. It is suggested educational and quality improvement initiatives in pain management could enhance nurses knowledge in the area of pain and possibly improve practice

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Conclusion