Knowledge and perceived competence of home care nurses in pain management:A national survey

This national mail survey assessed pain related knowledge and subjective co mpetence of a random sample of home care nurses across the United States. O ther study objectives were to examine the relationship between nurse charac teristics, knowledge and perceived competence, and assess continuing educat ion practices. On average, the 1236 nurses scored only 56 % of the items co rrectly: demonstrating stronger knowledge in pain assessment than treatment . Respondents reported most confidence in patient and family communication, discussion of advance directives and pain assessment. The lowest competenc e was reported in sophisticated pain treatment techniques. The relationship between knowledge and subjective competence was found to be highly signifi cant. Sixty-three percent of the sample displayed a realistic assessment of their pain management knowledge while 37% under- or overestimated what the y knew. It is challenging to engage the latter group, who overestimate thei r competence but score low on pain management knowledge. Educational strate gies need to differentiate these two groups and target the audience appropr iately. (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 2001.