Research Article

Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitude towards Postoperative Pain Management in Ghana

Table 2

Knowledge of pain management (211).

VariableCorrectIncorrect

(1) Vital signs are always reliable indicators of the intensity of a patient’s pain77 (36.5%)134 (63.5%)
(2) Because their nervous system is underdeveloped, children under two years of age have decrease pain sensitivity and limited memory of painful experiences69 (32.7%)142 (67.3%)
(3) Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents are not effective analgesics for acute postoperative pain66 (31.3%)145 (68.7%)
(4) Respiratory depression rarely occurs in patients who have been receiving stable doses of opioid over a period of months118 (55.9%)93 (44.1%)
(5) Combining analgesics that work by different mechanisms may result in better pain control with fewer side effects than using a single analgesic agent163 (77.3%)48 (22.7%)
(6) The usual duration of analgesia of 1-2 mg morphine IV is 4-5 hours71 (33.6%)140 (66.4%)
(7) Pethidine 75 mg IM is approximately equal to morphine 10 mg IM121 (57.3%)90 (42.7%)
(8) Opioid should not be used in patients with a history of substance abuse46 (21.8%)165 (78.2%)
(9) The term “equianalgesia” means approximately equal analgesia187 (88.6%)24 (11.4%)
(10) After an initial dose of opioid analgesic is given, subsequent doses should be adjusted189 (89.6%)22 (10.4%)
(11) Anticonvulsant drugs such as gabapentin (Neurontin) produce optimal pain relief after a single dose66 (31.3%)145 (68.7%)
(12) If the source of the patient’s pain is unknown, opioid should not be used during the pain evaluation period42 (19.9)169 (80.1%)
(13) Sedation assessment is recommended during opioid pain management176 (83.4%)35 (16.6%)
(14) Benzodiazepines are not effective pain relievers and are rarely recommended158 (74.9%)53 (25.1%)
(15) Narcotic/Opioid addiction is defined as a chronic neurobiological disease, characterized by behaviors that include one or more of the following: impaired control over drug use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and craving191 (90.5%)20 (9.5%)
(16) The recommended route of administration of opioid analgesics for patients with persistent postoperative pain is84 (39.8%)127 (60.2%)
(17) The recommended route of administration of opioid analgesics for patients with brief, severe pain of sudden onset is145 (68.7%)66 (31.3%)
(18) Which of the following analgesic medications must be used with caution due to its metabolite that can precipitate seizures?105 (49.8%)106 (50.2%)
(19) A 30 mg dose of oral morphine is approximately equivalent to132 (62.6%)79 (37.4%)
(20) Analgesics for postoperative pain should initially be given185 (88.2%)25 (11.8%)
(21) A patient with severe postoperative pain has been receiving daily morphine injections for 3 consecutive days. The likely hood of the patient developing clinical psychological addiction is104 (49.3%)107 (50.7%)
(22) Which of the following nondrug methods are useful for combining with treatment of postoperative pain?196 (92.9%)15 (7.1%)
(23) The most accurate judge of the intensity of the patient’s pain is180 (85.3%)31 (14.7%)
(24) How likely is it that those patients who develop pain already have alcohol and/or drug abuse problem?118 (55.9%)93 (44.1%)
(25) The time to the peak effect for morphine given IV is145 (68.7%)66 (31.3%)
(26) The time to the peak effect for morphine given orally is138 (65.4%)73 (34.6%)
(27) Following abrupt discontinuation of an opioid, physical dependence is manifested by the following:91 (43.1%)120 (56.9%)
(28) Which statement is true regarding opioid-induced respiratory depression105 (49.8%)106 (50.2%)