Nurses’ knowledge on pain management practices and organizational pain management policy

Inadequate management of patients’ pain is a continuing problem despite research findings that support patients’ complaints of inadequate pain management. Numerous studies have examined nursing knowledge and pain management but very few studies have examined the influence of an organizational pain management policy on nursing knowledge and pain management practices. The research problem that will be examined is: Does nursing knowledge of a formal organizational pain management policy improve the pain management practices of nurses giving care to the post operative patient and do organizational factors influence pain management practices in a given healthcare setting? The purpose of the study is to examine nursing knowledge on pain management practice when a formal organizational pain management policy is implemented. The framework for this study will be based on the Model of Healthcare Organization as an open system. The descriptive correlational study will involve 90 nurses providing direct patient care on five study units during a 72-hour study period. Nurses, one half hour before the end of their eight hour shift, will complete three self-administered questionnaires. Opioid administration data will be collected for the study. Instruments are the Chronic Pain Management and Accountability for Pain Management, and the Knowledge of Pain Management.School of NursingThesis (M.S.