title: Educating for tomorrow: enhancing nurses' pain management knowledge.
abstract: The Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, was the lead agency in developing a pain management continuing education program for front-line nurses in a variety of settings in northwestern Ontario. A committee of experts from the centre as well as from the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre; Regional Cancer Care; the Pain and Symptom Management Team, North West Community Care Access Centre; the Victorian Order of Nurses and Lakehead University school of nursing developed the program. The program included a pre-test of knowledge and attitudes; four two-hour educational sessions focusing on total pain, acute pain, chronic pain and cancer pain; and a post self-test at the end of each session. The educational sessions were evaluated through a survey to participants. Overall, the nurses expressed high satisfaction with the workshops, and the post self-tests indicated a better understanding of patients' pain management experiences. As a result of the evaluation, the education planning committee refined the program, which is currently being delivered to nurses in rural and remote communities via telehealth.
authors.affiliation: Health Services, Meno Ya Win Health Centre, Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Linkewich
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sevean
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Habjan
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poling
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kortes-Miller
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005544:Forecasting; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D020380:Needs Assessment; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D009864:Ontario; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration