Education Changes Mexican Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pediatric Pain

• Published in: Pain management nursing Vol. 11; no. 4; pp. 201 - 208
• Main Authors: Huth, Myra Martz, Gregg, Theresa L., Lin, Li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-12-2010
• Subjects: Adult; Attitudes; Child; Cooperative Behavior; Education, Nursing, Continuing - methods; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Hospitals; Humans; Male; Mexican people; Mexico; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing Staff, Hospital - education; Nursing Staff, Hospital - psychology; Paediatrics; Pain; Pain - nursing; Pain Management; Pediatric Nursing - methods; Transcultural Nursing - methods; Mexico
• ISSN: 1524-9042; 1532-8635
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2009.11.001

This study explored the effectiveness of a pain education intervention on Mexican nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward pediatric pain. A convenience sample of 106 registered nurses from three hospitals in Mexico City was recruited. A Pediatric Pain Education Program (PPEP) was developed, implemented, and evaluated by a nurse researcher, clinical nurse specialist, and a child life specialist. The 4-hour program, which was translated into Spanish, consisted of pain assessment, physiology, and management, including pharmacology and nonpharmacology. The effects of PPEP were measured in a one-group pretest-posttest design using a translated Spanish version of the Pediatric Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Survey (PNKAS). A total of 79 nurses completed both tests. A paired
t test indicated significant differences between pre- and posttest results (
p < .0001) on the PNKAS. The hospital site and years of nursing experience were significantly related to nurses' pre- and post-PNKAS scores. One test item on children's ability to reliably report their pain had a significantly lower score after the intervention (
p = .016). The intervention was effective in improving Mexican pediatric nurses' knowledge and attitudes. However, it is not known how long this effect was maintained. Health care professionals can share a common vision for pain management by increasing international collaborative efforts and by advancing pediatric pain knowledge.