Nurses’ clinical decision-making regarding the management of pain

Effective pain management remains an elusive goal within the profession of nursing. While considerable improvement has occurred, patients continue to experience inappropriate levels of pain. To date, research has focused on objective factors that influence pain management. Few studies have examined attitudinal factors that may influence nurses’ decision-making. This quasi-experiment was based on preliminary data showing that nurses’ preconceived notions regarding certain patient groups influenced their management of pain. An intervention was tested for its’ effect on nurses’ preconceived notions regarding specific patient groups. A significant difference in a positive direction was found. Nurses were more willing to spend time and energy managing pain across all patient groups following the intervention.