| This study is an evaluation of the current level of the knowledge of pain management at San Gabriel Valley Medical Center (SGVMC) in San Gabriel, California. The Knowledge of Pain Management Questionnaire (Coyne et al., 1998) was completed by 95 medical staff. The questionnaire measures three domains pertinent to the knowledge of pain management: (a) knowledge of pain assessment; (b) knowledge of pharmacologic interventions pertinent to pain management; and (c) knowledge of nonpharmacologic interventions pertinent to pain management. Results indicate that level of education does make a significant difference in the knowledge of pharmacologic and in the knowledge of assessment scores, however, even greater than BS scores were only in the average range (76.76%). An item analysis reveals that the questions answered correctly by the least number of participants were knowledge of pharmacologic pain management questions, followed by knowledge of assessment scores. Low alpha levels indicate that the Knowledge of Pain Management Questionnaire (Coyne et al., 1998) may or may not be an effective measure to evaluate the intended constructs. If this instrument is to be of utility in regards to research validity standards the reliability and validity must be further confirmed. It was recommended that aggressive assessment, education, and training protocols in the knowledge of pain management be implemented at San Gabriel Valley Medical Center. |
