Hospice and hospital oncology unit nurses: a comparative survey of knowledge and attitudes about cancer pain.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To identify knowledge strengths and weaknesses and misperceptions about cancer pain management between two groups of registered nurses in different settings.

DESIGN: Descriptive, comparative survey.

SETTING: 11 community-based hospices and 7 inpatient hospital oncology units within an urban county.

SAMPLE: A convenience sample of 30 hospice and 34 hospital oncology unit nurses. Sample criteria included registered nurses who had worked for at least the preceding six months exclusively in either a hospice or hospital oncology unit.

METHODS: The North Carolina Cancer Pain Initiative survey and a demographic survey were distributed to the work mailboxes of nurses in the participating facilities who met the inclusion criteria.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Hospice and hospital oncology unit nurses' knowledge and attitudes about basic pharmacologic cancer pain management.

FINDINGS: Hospice nurses scored significantly higher than hospital oncology unit nurses regarding overall pain management knowledge, opioids, scheduling, and liberalness. Hospice nurses also reported more pain education and a higher frequency of pain guideline review requirements than hospital oncology unit nurses.

CONCLUSIONS: The most prevalent knowledge deficits concerned opioids. Practice setting and pain education may influence knowledge, as well as attitudes, about pain.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Further research is needed regarding nurses' pain management behavior and outcomes of pain management education in various settings.