Abstract:
A recent survey of nurses’ and midwives’ pain knowledge and attitudes
demonstrated that those working regularly with an acute pain service were more
knowledgeable about analgesics, non-drug pain management and addiction issues.
An acute pain service was shown to have a positive influence on pain management
practice. A 29-item pain knowledge and attitudes questionnaire which also included
questions relating to the impact of an acute pain service was distributed to 600 nurses
and midwives. A response rate of 48% (286 valid responses) was achieved. Nurses and
midwives who were unaware of an acute pain service in their organisation had significantly
lower scores on knowledge about pain management, particularly in relation
tothe analgesia choices made. This data indicates that an acute pain service has
an important influence within health care organisations and can be utilised to lead
advancement in pain management practice.
