EXAMINING THE KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS REGARDING ACUTE PAIN MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the knowledge and attitude of the nursing students in an undergraduate program towards acute pain management. Background: Nurses play an instrumental role in acute pain management. When nurses have knowledge deficit and negative attitude, it can result in poor pain management for patients, and negatively impacts on both the physical and psychological well-being of patients. The foundation of knowledge and attitude towards acute pain management is built in nursing schools, hence it is important to know the nursing students’ knowledge and attitude. Limited studies have examined on the nursing students’ knowledge and attitude towards acute pain management in Singapore, hence it warrants the need for this study. Method: A cross-sectional design was adopted. Convenience sampling was used, and 279 nursing students were recruited from a University in Singapore. A validated instrument, Knowledge and Attitude Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP), was utilised to measure the knowledge and attitude of the nursing students towards acute pain management. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation test were used for data analysis. Results: The overall mean KASRP score was 59.5%, indicating that the nursing students have demonstrated inadequate knowledge and negative attitude towards acute pain management. Majority of the participants answered incorrectly for questions that were primarily related to opioids and its pharmacology. The mean KASRP scores were found to have no significant differences across the demographic factors (level of nursing education, age, gender, ethnicity and prior nursing experience). X Conclusion: More emphasis on acute pain management in the nursing curriculum is necessary to improve the nursing students’ knowledge and attitude. A longitudinal study is recommended to further observe the nursing students’ translation of knowledge into actual pain management practices. Future studies are also recommended to investigate the knowledge and attitude of other nursing populations.