EVALUATION OF NURSING STAFF TRAINING FOR PATIENT-CONTROLLED ANALGESIA

Intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an effective techniq ue to relieve most forms of acute postoperative pain. However it is no t easy to apply. An adequate training of the nursing staff has been fo r a safe and successful use in the recovery room and the wards as well . Our study was aimed to assess such a training. The most common error s during training period included the incorrect preparation of syringe s and the inadequate use of i.v. lines. Errors in programming were spo ntaneously rectified by using a special procedure. Specific acute pain nurse teams were trained. To optimize the pump use and promote safety and efficacy, special protocols and procedures were devised. PCA is n ow accepted as a normal nurse procedure. There is no longer any resist ance against the introduction of PCA in the wards. Training of nursing staff for the use of PCA devices is essential in order to avoid <<hum an errors>>. PCA has become routine for the management of postoperativ e pain.