Knowledge and Awareness of Nurses and Doctors Regarding Cancer Pain Management in a Tertiary Hospital

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare and check the levels of cancer pain management knowledge and awareness between doctors and nurses in a tertiary hospital and to develop an intervention program. Methods: Participants were 725 nurses and 95 doctors working in a hospital from May 2 to 29, 2009. Data were analyzed using t-tests, chi(2)-tests, and ANOVA with SPSS WIN 18.0. Results: In a comparison of the pain management score, nurses showed significant results for age (p<.001), carrier (p<.001), education (p<.001), workplace (p<.001), and doctors showed significant results only for age (p=.032). Doctors' marks were significantly higher than nurses' in pain management scores (p<.001). Knowledge about analgesic medication (t=-5.38, p<.001) and analgesic drug effect (t=-8.59, p<.001) were significantly different in the pain management subcategory score between nurses and doctors. There were four items with different awareness levels related to analgesics between nurses and doctors. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that it is possible to develop pain education content for nurses and doctors. The findings of this study are useful when seeking to change the awareness level of a medical team regarding opioid analgesics.