title: Health care workers and ICU pain perceptions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our study examined the effect of health care workers' personal characteristics on how they perceive and intend to treat patients' pain in the intensive care unit. Though pain perceptions have been well established from the patient's perspective, less is known about how variations in health care workers may affect their perceptions of pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study consisted of a 28-item questionnaire distributed to 122 medical staff personnel over a 12-month period. The questionnaire included items regarding respondent characteristics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, and level of training.
  
  
  METHODS
  The questionnaire was distributed to physicians and nurses working in the critical care setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Responses were provided using a Likert scale and scored on subscales of hemodynamic instability, addiction and tolerance, pain expression, legal issues, and education.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results demonstrated that characteristics such as age and race were significant predictors of perceptions regarding addiction subscale scores (β = -0.256, P = 0.006 and β = 0.183, P = 0.053, respectively). Race proved to be a significant factor in pain expression scores (β = 0.183, P = 0.053). Work-related variables, such as being in or out of active medical training and being within the critical care specialty itself, were significant predictors of addiction subscale scores as well (β = -0.238, P = 0.012 and β = 0.191, P = 0.050, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health care providers' race, age, level of education, and medical subspecialty were significant factors affecting their perceptions of pain management and intended treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, USA.
authors.forename: Ravali
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tarigopula
authors.forename: Naveen K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Tyagi
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Chaitali
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gupte
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raju
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: LaRosa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D058748:Pain Perception; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Pain Management; Perception; Race Disparities; Sociocultural