The Effect of Pain Management Education on the Knowledge and Attitude toward Pain Management of the Nursing Staff in a Long-term Care Hospital

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of pain management education, which were conducted as part of the quality improvement project, on the knowledge and attitude toward pain management of nurses and certified caregivers. Methods: The research design was one group pre- A nd post-test design. The participants were 113 in total including 60 registered nurses and 53 certified caregivers in a long-term care hospital. The Korean Knowledge and Attitude Survey on Pain Management Scale (K-KASP) was measured a week prior to the education and a week after the education. Data were analyzed by paired t-test. Results: The Knowledge and attitude toward pain management were significantly improved between the pre- A nd post-test in both registered nurses (t=7.94, p<.001) and certified caregivers (t=4.25, p<.001). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate the positive effects of pain management education on the knowledge and attitude toward pain management of both registered nurses and certified caregivers in a long-term care hospital. Further study is needed to empower pain management competencies of the nursing staff in long-term care hospitals.