title: Postoperative pain: nurses' knowledge and patients' experiences.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding postoperative pain and identify postoperative patients' pain intensity experiences. The assessment and management of acute postoperative pain is important in the care of postoperative surgical patients. Inadequate relief of postoperative pain can contribute to postoperative complications such as atelectasis, deep vein thrombosis, and delayed wound healing. A pilot study with an exploratory design was conducted at a large teaching hospital in the eastern United States. The convenience samples included 31 nurses from the gastrointestinal and urologic surgical units and 14 first- and second-day adult postoperative open and laparoscopic gastrointestinal and urologic patients who received patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain was used to measure nurses' knowledge about pain management. The Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) was used to measure patients' pain intensity. The nurses' mean score on the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain was 69.3%. Patients experienced moderate pain, as indicated by the score on the SF-MPQ. There is a need to increase nurses' knowledge of pain management.
authors: Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York. Electronic address: lavonia.francis@mountsinai.org.
authors: Lavonia
authors: L
authors: Francis
authors: Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors: Joyce J
authors: JJ
authors: Fitzpatrick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards*; D059408:Pain Management / Q000451:nursing*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000451:nursing; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000451:nursing*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult