Pain knowledge and attitude: a survey among nurses in 23 health institutions in Western Ethiopia

Effective pain management requires a sound knowledge of pain and its treatment. Researches indicated that inadequate knowledge and inappropriate attitudes of nurses regarding pain management have a significant impact of treatment and patient care. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge and attitude among health care professionals in Anfillo Woreda health centers and private small clinics in West Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was used to self-administer four Likert scales validated and adopted 22 pain related items by 89 nurses of three health centers and twenty small clinics. Descriptive data analyses were used. Itemtotal correlation and Cronbach's alpha were computed. The overall mean correct answer for all the 22 items was 49.8%; meaning health care providers were able to correctly answer 49.8% of items on average. Besides, only 3.8% of them scored above the passing score of 70%. The widespread pain related misconceptions identified is of concern demanding continuing education for nurses and pain management quality improvement initiatives so as to alleviate the consequences of poor knowledge and inappropnate attitude towards pain management.