Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Nurses play a vital role in providing patient education for proper use of opioids. This descriptive study was designed to explore nurses' knowledge of opioids. Nurses in two large urban East Coast medical centers in the United States were invited to participate in the study, and 133 nurses completed the survey in its entirety. ⋯ Demographic variables such as experience working as a nurse and length of time as a nurse did not influence how nurses performed on the questionnaire, nor did educational level. However, nurses who received education on opioids as a separate class of medication answered a higher percentage of questions correctly than those who did not receive education on opioids. The results of this study reveal a knowledge gap and nurses' lack of sufficient information about opioids that may affect their ability to provide effective medication instructions to their patients.
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Systematic pain assessment using reliable and valid pain scales is the foundation for optimal pain management in children. To evaluate the available scales for pain assessment in Chinese children, we systematically evaluated the psychometric properties of pain measurements used in Chinese children. We searched Chinese- and English-language databases from their inception to September 2013. ⋯ In all, 6 studies involving 775 participants were included in this review with six pain scales examined, including the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) Scale, COMFORT-Behavior Scale, Asian Version of Oucher Scale, Pain Observation Scale for Young Children (POCIS), Neonatal Facial Coding System (NFCS) and Pain Assessment Scale for Preterm Infants (PASPI). The FLACC, COMFORT-Behavior Scale, and PASPI had very good psychometric qualities when administered in Chinese children; the Asian Version of Oucher Scale and POCIS showed acceptable to good psychometric qualities; and the NFCS had unacceptable psychometric qualities. Further psychometric testing of these observational measures and self-report pain scales in particular are needed among Chinese children of various age groups and in different pain situations.
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Patients undergoing a surgical intervention for the first time are unfamiliar with the perioperative context, and they usually have no knowledge of postoperative pain management. In the preoperative circuit, there is no time to educate the patient in these terms. The professional profile of nurses allows this need to be addressed, and provides a regulated language to evaluate their effectiveness. ⋯ Data were compiled from January to December 2009. Statistically significant differences existed between the two groups regarding postoperative pain (visual analogue scale >3, 20.5% versus 11.5%; p = .023), patient satisfaction (87.1% versus 78.7%; p = .041), and surgical wound complications (13.9% versus 5.5%; p = .010). The results confirm the benefits of applying the nursing methodology in preoperative clinics.
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It is very important for nurses to have a clear understanding of the patient's pain experience and of management strategies. However, a review of the nursing literature shows that one of the main barriers to proper pain management practice is lack of knowledge. ⋯ The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of computer-based simulations as a reliable educational technology strategy that can enhance the learning experience of nursing students acquiring pain management knowledge and practice. Computer-based simulations provide a significant number of learning affordances that can help change nursing students' attitudes and behaviors toward and practice of pain assessment and management.