'I think PCA is great, but . . .'-Surgical nurses' perceptions of patient-controlled analgesia.
This qualitative study investigated surgical nurses' perceptions of patient-controlled analgesia as a strategy for managing acute pain in a tertiary care hospital. Patient-controlled analgesia is commonly used and nurses play an essential role in caring for patients prescribed it. The study was divided into two parts. First, audiotaped semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 nurses. The interviews were followed by a postal questionnaire to 336 nurses with 171 returned. Thematic analysis was the chosen methodology. The audiotaped transcripts and questionnaires surfaced five themes, with the dominant one being 'I think PCA is great, but . . .'. The paper outlines and explores these themes and addresses the implications arising from the research for both clinical practice and education.
King
Sue
S
Inpatient Pain Management Service, Waikato District Health Board, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Walsh
Kenneth
K
D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D000075202:Contraindications; D004282:Documentation; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000451:nursing; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D009520:New Zealand; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009737:Nursing Records; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D018579:Patient Selection; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016526:Workload