Neonate pain management: what do nurses really know?

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine knowledge, attitude, and performance vis-à-vis pain management in neonates by nurses working in neonatal units in Bandar Abbas University hospitals. METHOD This descriptive and analytical study was executed from March-August 2011 in the neonatal units and NICU in Bandar Abbas educational hospitals. A total of 50 nurses and nurse assistants working in the neonatal units participated in the study. The data collection tool was a structured questionnaire investigating knowledge (28 items), attitude (20 items) and practices (5 items). Data was analyzed using descriptive statistical tests (Frequency, Mean and Standard deviation tables) and inferential statistic (T-test, Variance analysis). RESULTS The knowledge scores of participants had a mean value of 13.51 (48.2%) out of 28. The mean score of attitude was 54.22 out of 60 and the mean score for the nurses' level of practices was found to be 4.22 out of 10. There was a significant relationship between nurses' knowledge scores and the level of education, i.e. nurses with more education had more knowledge. CONCLUSION Results showed that the nurses had poor performance regarding the assessment, measurement, and relief of pain. However, they showed positive attitudes towards pain control in neonates.