The chronic pain management service awareness and perceptions among health care professionals.

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to assess awareness and perceptions of Health care Professionals regarding the Chronic Pain Management Service. Although this service is now established and functional in the local general hospital, it appears that there is lack of awareness among the various levels of Health Care Professionals of what the service entails and what the pain clinic team can offer to these patients. This problem may be leading to ambiguity of consultant referral from medical, surgical and orthopaedic wards as well as lack of clarity in advocacy and advice from respective ward or unit nurses. In the literature review studies revealed that given the large proportion of patients with chronic pain, there is need for further investigations and appropriate information and organization of care in the Chronic Pain Management Service. This descriptive study was carried out at the local general hospital. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire designed for the study. The participants were a random sample of 120 Healthcare Professionals working in medical, surgical and orthopaedic wards. This quantitative study yielded categorical and ordinal data from close-ended questions. A computer programme namely the Statistic Package for Social Sci vices (SPSS) Nu. 15 was used to analyse the data. The discussion included also themes that emerged from the qualitative findings of the open ended question namely, awareness of the Chronic Pain Management Service, information regarding the Chronic Pain Management Service, and access to the Chronic Pain Management Service. This study gave the opportunity for a better understanding of the health care professionals' perceptions regarding need for information, the awareness that exists and use of access to the service. Incomplete knowledge, outdated attitudes, myths, and misconceptions about pain and its management contribute to unsafe, inadequate, and inappropriate pain management. The provision of written information addressed to the Health Professional and to the customer, about the safe and effective management of pain and of the service provided in the local general hospital, may increase compliance, and may help the patients to feel in control thus improving clinical outcomes. A set of recommendations were made to the management, education and clinical sector, and for further research in order to further develop the use of this service for the benefit of patients with chronic pain.