Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Postoperative Pain Assessment and Management among Health Care Practitioners in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

Abstract

Postoperative patients experience moderates to severe pain within first 48 hours and this minimizes comfort. This study aims to establish level of nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and practices of postoperative pain assessment and management in Cape Coast. A descriptive quantitative, cross- sectional research design was used. A purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 200 nurse anaesthetists and registered nurses from Cape Coast Teaching Hospital and Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital, Central Region, Ghana. The respondents’ knowledge, attitudes and practices of postoperative pain management were evaluated using opened and closed-ended questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed, more than half of the respondents stated that postoperative pain is best told by the patients themselves but significant number 34% stated health care practitioners can best tell patient pain intensity. Less than half of the respondents observed the effect of pain medication on patients. Almost half of the respondents agreed patients would be addicted when they are given opioids analgesics. It was concluded that there were adequate knowledge of postoperative pain assessment and management among respondents but there is knowledge gap with regards to who best tell if patient experiences pain or not. Knowledge and practices of postoperative pain assessment and management were statistically significantly related and there is a strong relationship between knowledge and practice of postoperative pain assessment management. It was recommended that pain assessment and management should be done before and after administration of analgesia. Pain medications such as opioids should be given as and when necessary.