Barriers and Enablers to Pain Management in Emergency Department

Abstract

This paper is just a sample template for the prospective authors of IISTE Over the decades, Background: Despite the growing interest in pain management (PM) around the world, under treatment of pain is still a major problem faced by the healthcare professionals in emergency departments (EDs). Identifying barriers and enablers of PM among nurses and physicians is important to overcome factors that hinder effective PM. Aim: To explore the barriers and enablers of PM among nurses and physicians working in the Jordanian EDs. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional design, using self-reported questionnaire. Result: Nursing participants reported moderate mean score of barriers (M6.68), while physicians reported (6.65). On the hand, nurses’ participants reported a mean of enablers (6.68), while physicians reported (6.65).There was no significant difference in the barriers and enablers of PM between nurses and physicians. However, among all enablers of PM, "following a protocol for pain assessment" and "treating pain as the fifth vital sign" contribute to optimal PM care?" differed between nurses and physicians. The least frequently reported barrier of PM for nurses and physicians was "Lack of intravenous access", which was reported by 66 nurses (39.1%) and 25 physicians (35.2%). The least frequently reported enabler of PM for both physicians and nurses was "Do you have a PM Champion in your area?" No significant correlation between the demographic characteristics of nurses and physicians and the total scores of enablers and barriers of PM was found. Conclusion: There is a need to adopt an intervention to overcome barriers of PM by training sessions and monitor side effects of medication, as well as enhance the enablers of PM by using of posters and focus on pain policies and protocols.

Keywords: Pain Management; Enablers; Barriers; Nurses; Physicians; Emergency Departments.

DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/58-06