Targeting pain education for the non-pain specialists: Where should efforts be directed?

Abstract

In the last decades, significant efforts have been made in improving the delivery of pain care. Improving pain management for our patients requires more than just increasing the availability of pain specialists and pain clinics. In the hospital setting, the nursing staffs spend more time with patients, and often times serve as the link between patients and physicians for pain care. The aim of this study was to define the specific areas of pain knowledge and attitudinal deficits in such providers for specific goal directed quality improvement activities.