The impact of education on the knowledge and attitudes of Ghanaian nurse tutors towards the assessment and management of pain in children: A quantitative study

Background: Undertreatment of pain in children is an international problem as many children reports unresolved moderate to severe pain. One key factor which may contribute to under treatment of pain in children by nurses is lack of knowledge. In Ghana opportunities for nurses to learn about pediatric pain have been limited due to gaps in the undergraduate curriculum and inadequate continuing professional education post qualification.Objective: To assess tutors' knowledge and attitudes to pediatric pain management before and after an educational workshop.Design: Single group pre-test-post-test design.Setting: One Ghanaian Nursing Training College.Participants: All (37) nursing tutors in the college.Method: Total population sampling was used to access 37 tutors, data were collected using the Knowledge and Attitude Survey Regarding Pain at 3 stages; pre-intervention, immediately after the train-the-trainer based Pediatric Pain Educational Workshop and at 3-months follow-up. Data from the survey were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: Results at pre-intervention showed low scores in the survey. However, post-intervention results at both the immediate and 3-months follow-up stages revealed a significant increase from pre-intervention: Mean (SD) of 20.35 (4.56), to immediate follow-up Mean (SD) 26.93 (5.02), and 3-months follow-up Mean (SD) 25.19 (5.80) and a p-value of <0.001.Conclusion: The results suggest tutors' knowledge and attitudes regarding pediatric pain management can be directly improved through a nurse tutor focused educational program. However, knowledge declines with time and as such there is the need for regular update through Continuing Professional Development activities.

Automated summary

Ghanaian nurses have limited knowledge about pediatric pain management, leading to undertreatment of pain in children. An educational program for nurses can effectively improve their knowledge and attitudes towards pediatric pain management, but regular updates are necessary to sustain the knowledge gained.