Educating care providers about pain: How to do right thing in the right way

Attitude barriers and gaps in knowledge about pain among care providers are two of the main causes for inadequate pain management. A group of 105 registered nurses participated in a 10-hour educational program aimed to improve knowledge and to change attitudes related to pain assessment and treatment. A questionnaire evaluating knowledge and attitudes about pain was completed by care providers prior to, and 1 year subsequent to the program and results indicate that major weakneses in those areas are indeed prevalent among nursing staff. The educational program resulted in a change in nurses' perceptions of their own ability to assess and to treat pain. This change, however was not accompanied by a corresponding improvement in actual knowledge or a breakdown of attitude barriers. These results indicate that a short-term educational program aimed at an individual professional group, such as nurses is unlikely to elicit the desired change. It is therefore suggested that multidisciplinary programs aimed at teams of care providers be developed instead as a more effective means of improving knowledge and changing attitudes.