PRELIMINARY SURVEY TO EVALUATE HEALTHCARE WORKERS' KNOWLEDGE ON PAIN MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the knowledge of healthcare workers on pain management in the Department of upper limb surgery, Trauma and Orthopedics Institute, Military Hospital 175. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 20 participants who consented to join, consisting of staff working in the Department of upper limb surgery, Trauma and Orthopedics Institute, 175 Military Hospital. A questionnaire, adapted from the “Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pain Assessment and Management”, was utilized to suit this study. Results: Among the 20 healthcare workers participating in this study, the ratio of doctors to nurses was 9:11. Most participants held educational qualifications at the college level or higher, with 50% holding bachelor's degrees and 30% having postgraduate degrees. Additionally, 90% of participants had at least one year of work experience, and 75% had undergone training or updates on pain management. Out of 30 questions, 6 had a rate of incorrect answers exceeding 50%, primarily focusing on opioids and narcotics. The survey showed that 8 participants achieved a correct response rate of 70% or higher, and no participant scored below 50%. Conclusion: Overall, the general knowledge of healthcare workers about pain management in this study was relatively good. However, the study recommends implementing more continuous training courses on pain management to comprehensively update and enhance healthcare workers' knowledge.