title: Evaluating pain management delivered by direct care nurses.
abstract: It is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the delivery of pain management care because pain management is a complex process. This article describes a quality assurance study that was conducted on a surgical unit at a community teaching hospital, which is a member of a 1200 licensed inpatient beds multihospital system, to determine the effectiveness of pain management at the unit level. For the study, a Chart Audit Analysis Tool was developed and used to review second postoperative day charts of patients who had undergone a major abdominal surgery. The Chart Audit Analysis Tool quantifies by weighted indicators 2 outcomes measures, nurses' care delivery and pharmacologic management. The Chart Audit Analysis Tool, along with the results of a test of the nurses' knowledge and attitudes about pain management, provides nurse managers a quick and easy method to identify strengths and weaknesses of pain management at the unit level.
authors.affiliation: RNA Summa Health System Hospitals, 41 Arch St, Akron, OH 44304, USA. tappj@summa-health.org
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tapp
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kropp
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008297:Male; D009731:Nursing Audit / Q000379:methods*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000451:nursing*; D014481:United States