Nursing Students' Knowledge and Management of Pain

Objective: To identify what students at the Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas School of Nursing in Tampico, Mexico know about pain management. Method: This is a descriptive, transverse and correlational study based on a sample of 139 students from academic periods six to eight during 2006. A sample of 30 nursing teachers was used as well, for an insight into their opinion on what students know. Two questionnaires were designed. One was for the students, with 33 reactions classified into three dimensions: pain classification, assessment and pharmacological questions. The questionnaire for the teachers included 25 reactions derived from those dimensions. The respective Cronbach alphas obtained for these instruments were .85 and .82. The data were processed and analyzed with the SPSS statistical package (Version 13). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Results: Forty-one percent (41%) of the students were in the 22 to 24 age group, and 65% were in their seventh academic period. Seventy percent (70%) had a high degree of knowledge. As to the teachers, 53% are full-time professors and 47% have 12 to 21 years of experience. Seventy percent (70%) said the students have a moderate knowledge of pain management. The Pearson correlation showed a significant relationship between the general knowledge index and the three variable dimensions. Conclusion: The contents and methodology of the nursing subjects taught as part of essential professional training will have to be analyzed through collegiate work, specifically in terms of therapeutic pain management measures for those who use health services, based on a framework of technical, scientific, ethical and legal security.