title: Community hospital physician and nurse attitudes about pain management.
abstract: An interdisciplinary committee was established and charged with examining pain management and developing interventions at a 148 bed community hospital. To examine strategies on managing pain from both healthcare provider and patient perspectives, the committee surveyed the attitudes of physicians and nurses toward pain management and patients' opinions about the pain management they received in the hospital. A separate survey instrument was developed for physicians, nursing staff and patients. Physicians and nursing staff from all departments were asked to complete the survey during departmental meetings in Autumn 2000, and all patients for whom pain medication were ordered during the month of May 2000 were asked to participate. A total of 45 physicians, 142 nurses and 169 patients responded. Results showed that the majority of physicians (88.9%, n = 40) and nurses (83.0%, n = 118) were satisfied with the pain management outcomes in their patients, and that 91.1% of physicians and 90.2% of nurses included their patients in the pain management decision-making process. Nearly all patients believed their pain was adequately managed, but the results indicated a need to improve the use of pain assessment scales by the hospital staff and a need to educate and involve all patients in their pain management options. Survey data also showed a desire for staff education on pain management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Medical Center of Lewisville, Lewisville, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Visina
authors.forename: Jiin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Tracey D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Gerthoffer
authors.forename: Ronna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Biggs
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ting
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006801:Humans; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires