Does Education Improve Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, and Practice in Relation to Pain Management? An Integrative Review.

BACKGROUND: Pain is undertreated in both adults and children and a major factor linked to this is nurses' lack of knowledge as evidenced by studies undertaken globally.

OBJECTIVE: This review sought to explore the effects educational interventions can have on nurses' knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practice regarding pain management.

DESIGN: An integrative review DATA SOURCES: Systematic search of CINAHL, MEDLINE, AMED, EMBASE, and Psych INFO.

REVIEW/ANALYSIS METHODS: Five major databases were systematically searched from the year 2000-December 2019 with a total of 33 studies included in the final review.

RESULTS: The literature revealed that many nurses had inadequate knowledge and a poor attitude towards pain at baseline, which may be improved through educational intervention. However, misconceptions remained at post-intervention, particularly regarding pharmacological pain management.

CONCLUSIONS: Education is a possible means to enhance nurses' knowledge and improve attitudes and practices in pain management. However, there was some evidence that this may decline over time, and continuous professional updates are likely required.