[Knowledge and attitudes of private practice nurses about end-of-life pain. Results of a national survey on nurses' attitudes and practices for end-of-life patients, 2005-2006].
BACKGROUND
Nurses play a crucial role in end-of-life care, especially for outpatients. It is important to assess their knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management during the end-of-life period.


METHODS
A random national sample of 602 French nurses providing home care responded to a telephone survey. The questionnaire included a scale of knowledge about pain and a short clinical case related to severe pain management, requiring WHO level 3 analgesia, for a dying patient.


RESULTS
The pain knowledge score depended on nurses' training and was higher for those living with another health professional. For the clinical case, only 60% of nurses favored the prescription of the analgesia recommended by international guidelines. This support depended on objective skills in pain management, but was less frequent for elderly or women patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Attitudes toward pain management at the end of life do not depend only on book learning. They are also influenced by more subjective factors that may cause inequality in care for women and the elderly. Nurse training programs should take such factors into account.
Bendiane
Marc-Karim
MK
Observatoire régional de la santé Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur (ORS Paca), Marseille. bendiane@marseille.inserm.fr
Galinier
Anne
A
Obadia
Yolande
Y
Favre
Roger
R
Ribiere
Claude
C
Moatti
Jean-Paul
JP
Peretti-Watel
Patrick
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009744:Nursing, Private Duty; D010146:Pain / Q000451:nursing*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care; D014944:World Health Organization