Nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain and its management

Pain management is one of the most frequent interventions implemented by nurses. However, research demonstrates that nurses do not provide for adequate pain relief because of deficits in their pain management knowledge and inappropriateness of their attitudes (American Pain Society, 1990). The establishment of standards for assessing the existence and intensity of the patient's pain was critical to correcting this problem. This descriptive study evaluated nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain and its management since the initiation of JCAHO standards.;A convenience sample of registered and licensed practical nurses were asked to complete a demographic sheet and questionnaire. Data was analyzed using frequencies and percentage distributions for the demographic data. Knowledge and attitudes towards pain management among RN's and LPN's were analyzed utilizing linear correlation and regression tests. The results of this study identified needed improvements, continued deficiencies and will help to guide future remedies among nurses.