A comparison of nurse practitioners' and physicians' knowledge and beliefs regarding the use of opioid analgesics for chronic pain management

Three hundred and five health care providers (146 nurse practitioners and 159 physicians) in Washington state were surveyed to determine their knowledge and beliefs regarding opioid analgesics, risks associated with using opioids to treat acute and chronic pain, and concerns regarding complications of opioid use for chronic pain. Results indicate that health care providers tend to underestimate the percentage of their patients with chronic pain and have great concern about complications of opioids. There was no significant difference between nurse practitioner and physician scores on opioid classification questions. Nurse practitioners were, however, less likely than physicians to approve of opioids for chronic pain management and estimated the risk of addiction associated with opioid use for chronic pain to be higher than did physicians. Results of this study indicate a need for improved physician and nurse practitioner education regarding chronic pain and the use of opioids as a potential management strategy.