Knowledge and Attitudes to Pain Management of Healthcare Professionals in Primary Medical Centres

Background/aim: To investigate the level of knowledge and attitudes related to pain management among nurses and physicians working in primary medical centres in Jordan. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Settings: Study was conducted in seven medical centres affiliated to the Royal Military Medical Services. Participants/subjects: A sample of 56 physicians and 81 nurses were recruited. Methods: The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain questionnaire was used to assess participants knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management. Results: Total knowledge scores were calculated and converted to a percentage for each participant, resulting in scores for nurses ranging from 9.51% to 90.24% (mean 45.26%, SD 9.9), and for physicians of 31.7% to 97.56%, (mean 50.6%, SD 13.6). The difference in the total mean scores between nurses and physicians was significant (t = -2.63, df = 135, P = .009), physicians having more knowledge of pain management than nurses. Conclusions: The result of this study indicated that Jordanian healthcare professionals have a low level of knowledge and negative attitudes toward pain management, so educational programmes related to the topic are strongly recommended. The findings also revealed a discrepancy between knowledge and practice. Therefore, guidelines and protocols related to pain assessment and management should be designed and implemented to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice.