Knowledge and Practice of Patient-controlled Analgesia Use and Management among Nurses

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge and practice of patient-controlled analgesia use and management (PCA-UM) among nurses. Methods: Data were collected from 182 nurses employed by four general hospitals having more than 300 beds in Daejeon. The data were collected using self-report questionnaires from November 4 to November 20, 2015. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA. Results: The average nurses' knowledge about PCA-UM was 14.8 points out of 20. PCA-UM knowledge was significantly higher for nurses with experience in PCA education (t=3.55, p<.001). Most participants (91.2%) wanted to get PCA training, 86.8% of them provided PCA education to patients after surgery. Approximately 62% of participants regularly evaluated the level of consciousness of patients with PCA. Conclusion: Findings indicate that the knowledge and practice of PCA-UM among nurses were insufficient to provide safe and effective pain management to postoperative patients with PCA. Therefore, it is concluded that it is necessary to develop standardized PCA education programs for nurses to provide safe and effective pain management to postoperative patients with PCA.