Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Registered nurses (RNs) play a pivotal role in treating pain and preventing and recognizing the adverse effects (AEs) of analgesics in patients with dementia. The purpose of this study was to determine RNs' knowledge of potentially clinically relevant AEs of analgesics. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used. ⋯ Younger RNs had better knowledge of opioid-related AEs (odds ratio [OR] per 1-year increase, 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94-1.00) and weak opioids (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-0.99). This study provides evidence of a deficiency in RNs' knowledge, especially regarding the adverse renal and cardiovascular effects of NSAIDs. Such lack of knowledge indicates that hospitals may need to update the knowledge of older RNs, especially those who treat vulnerable patients with dementia.
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It is important to ensure that cancer pain management is based on the best evidence. Nursing evidence-based pain management can be examined through an evaluation of pain documentation. The aim of this study was to modify and test an evaluation tool for nursing cancer pain documentation, and describe the frequency and quality of nursing pain documentation in one oncology unit via the electronic medical system. ⋯ Documentation was suboptimal for pain reassessment, pharmacologic interventions, and bowel regimen. The study results provide implications for enhancing electronic medical record design and highlight a need for future research to understand the reasons for suboptimal nursing documentation of cancer pain management. For the future use of the data evaluation tool, we recommend additional modifications according to study settings.
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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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Breakthrough pain is a significant contributor to much suffering by patients. The experience of intense pain may interfere with, and affect, daily life functioning and has major consequences on patients' well-being if it is not well managed. The area of breakthrough pain has not been fully understood. ⋯ Proper guidance and information should be given to healthcare providers to improve the quality of patient care. Healthcare providers should adopt a sensitive approach in caring for patients' needs. The aim is to meet the needs of the patients who want to be pain free or to attain adequate relief of their pain for breakthrough pain.
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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.