Pain Management Education Initiative: Creating S.T.A.R.S. (Specialized Treatment Approach Requires a Skill-set)

Abstract

Effective pain management is a key component of patient care on a surgical unit. It was identified that there was an opportunity to improve nurse adherence and compliance with clinical practice guidelines and best practice in pain management. A pain education program was created by a pain certified nurse and nurse educator. Outcomes showed a positive trend in nurse confidence, knowledge, documentation compliance, and nurse-driven non-pharmacological interventions; pain HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) scores improved. The EBP (evidence-based practice) process was implemented to identify best pain management practices for clinical nurses. Problem identification, literature search, critical appraisal and synthesis of relevant sources were completed. A gap analysis was conducted using an online survey to assess nurses' knowledge and confidence with pain management assessments, opioid administration, and non-pharmacological interventions. Based on learning needs identified, an educational program was designed and implemented. Post implementation, audits were completed monthly to trace nurses' knowledge, confidence, documentation, and use of non-pharmacological interventions, and HCAHPS scores. Post implementation improvement consecutively for three months showed the nurse-driven non-pharmacological interventions (9% to 55%), pain assessments (33% to 52%), and use of pain management in nursing care plans (45% to 52%). HCAHPS scores (“staff discussion regarding pain”) improved from 70.5 to 72.1%, 95 to 96 percentiles. Enhanced nurses' pain management education showed marked improvement in pain management strategies and patient outcomes. This EBP initiative opened the door for a future role of a Pain Management Nurse Scholar facility wide resource to maintain outcomes and relevant ongoing education initiatives in pain management.