Relationship Between Knowledge, Attitudes, and Self-Efficacy of Nurses In the Management of the Pediatric Pain

165 Pain management is a very im portant aspect of nursing care of the pediatric patient. Ac cording to the Inter national Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), Special Interest Group on Pain in Childhood (2005), pain relief is a human right. Since 2001, pain management standards require that pro viders be educated in the assessment and management of pain, and that they recognize the right of patients to appropriate assessment and management of pain (Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organi zations, 1999; The Joint Commission, 2011). Pain is a subjective experience and can only be judged by the patient experiencing it (McCaffrey & Pasero, 1999). Pain in children is a subjective experience that “has sensory, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components that are interrelated with environmental, developmental, socio cultural, and contextual factors,” and is often considered inadequately assessed and undertreated (American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] & American Pain Society [APS], 2001, p. 793). The role of the nurse in pain management encompasses the entire nursing process. The nurse assesses for the presence of pain, plans pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management strategies with the medical team, implements the plan, and evaluates the effectiveness of the interventions (American Nurses Asso ciation [ANA], 2001). Continuing Nursing Education