title: Registered nurses' and student nurses' assessment of pain and distress related to specific patient and nurse characteristics.
abstract: Previous studies examining the influence of patient and nurse characteristics on assessments of pain and distress are not consistent in their results. Few studies have focused on the influence of nurses' personality factors on the assessment of pain and distress. The aims of this study were to compare registered nurses' and student nurses' assessments of patients' pain and distress and to identify if the assessment relate to specific patient and nurse characteristics. Seventy-one registered nurses and 184 student nurses assessed pain and distress in three hypothetical cases and responded to personality factors scales. The assessments of pain and distress regarding the patients showed significant differences. The respondents were divided into two groups, respectively, for each patient according to whether the patient's experiences of pain and distress were assessed as more or less intense. Both the groups of registered nurses and student nurses showed significantly differences on personality factors. The groups of student nurses also differed on nursing experience. Patients' age, and type and stage of illness, personality factors, and nursing experience influenced the respondents' assessments. These findings can be used to help educators in nursing to develop strategies to improve skills and knowledge in the assessment at pain and distress.
authors.affiliation: Division for Health and Caring Sciences, Karlstad University, 65188 Karlstad, Sweden. Marie-Louise.Hall-Lord@kau.se
authors.forename: Marie Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hall-Lord
authors.forename: Bodil Wilde
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Larsson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards; D010551:Personality; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden