Evaluating Nurses’ Knowledge and Skills for Dealing with Pain

Pain is a common symptom in hospitalized patients. Aim: to analyze and evaluate nurses’ knowledge and skills related to patients’ pain management. Method: The study was performed with a convenient sample of 70 nurses working in a General Hospital of Elefsina, Greece. The participants were asked to fill the Greek version of Ferrell & Mc Caffery’s Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain Questionnaire. Results: Research findings indicated that nurses on average did not have the adequate knowledge and skills to manage appropriately their patients’ pain. Higher levels of knowledge and skills were correlated with the attendance of seminars and education programs regarding pain management during the last year (p=0.015) and with the years of professional experience (p=0.044). Conclusion: The findings of the present study revealed that nurses have insufficient knowledge regarding pain management and suggest that there is an urgent need for further education on pain management. In addition, state and institutional Health Policies should focus on continuous lifelong nursing education to address this problem.