Nursing students' knowledge and attitudes about plan management

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore Maltese nursing students' knowledge and attitudes about pain management and to investigate if knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management is related to their demographic characteristics. Quantitative data were collected by using a self administered questionnaire. The sample included the entire cohort of final year nursing students following the four year degree and diploma nursing programmes (n=71). The majority (81%) were female. Ages ranged from 20 to 34 years, with a mean age of 21.74 (SD = 2.12). A questionnaire based on Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) (McCafferry & Ferrell, 2008) was utilised to explore these nursing students' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management. Data were collected under supervision in a class room and a high response rate (86.7%) was obtained. Descriptive and inferential statistics using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 were used to analyse data. Findings indicated that nursing students' mean total score was 51.93% (SD = 9.41) with a range from 25% to 70.83%, suggesting a considerably insufficient knowledge and inappropriate attitudes towards pain management. A positive relationship was found between educational programme and knowledge and attitude score, with students pursuing the degree programme obtaining a significantly higher score than diploma students (p< 0.018). However, no significant association was found with other demographic variables. In two hypothetical clinical scenarios, nursing students' assessment of pain was found to be influenced by facial and observational changes (p<0.0001). Moreover, the results showed that nursing students' knowledge and attitudes about pharmacological pain relief intervention were particularly inadequate. Inconsistency was also found between nursing students' attitudes and their reported practice about pain management. On the basis of these findings, educational programmes on pain management should be evaluated and enhanced in order to prepare students with adequate pain management knowledge before and during their exposure to the clinical area. The study findings are limited to final year students. Thus, further research that represents the entire nursing students' population is highly recommended.