Impact of Educational Program on Nurses' Attitude Regarding Pain Management for Patients with Cancer at The National Cancer Institute of Gezira University

Abstract

Background: Pain is one of the most common symptoms of cancer patients. The negative attitude of nurses is one of the barriers to effective pain management. Ineffective management of pain has adverse effects on complete aspects of a patient's life and unfortunate health outcomes. Aim of the study: Assessed the effectiveness of the training program on nurses' attitudes regarding pain management for patients with cancer. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study with a one-group pretest-posttest design. Setting: The study was instituted for research purposes at the National Cancer Institute of the University of Gezira, which lasted from 3-17 August 2018. Procedure: Data were collected from Sixty-one of nurses by a self-administered questionnaire before and after the educational program. Results: The results revealed that the overall mean score of nurses' attitudes at pretest was negative (1.8±0.731). After the program, the overall mean score improved in posttest one (2.85±0.92); posttest two (4.2±0.91), and posttest three (4.6±0.91). There were significant differences between the mean scores of pre-test, post-tests at p-value (p < 0.000). Conclusion: The education program has a positive effect on the improvement of nurses' attitudes regarding cancer pain assessment and management. Recommendation: Continuous education program suggested for nurses in oncology units to improve their attitude positively toward cancer pain management.