Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude of the Korean undergraduate nursing students on the pain management for the patients suffering cancer. Total 289 undergraduate nursing students from two universities and one college in Seoul and Busan area were participated. The data collection conducted from April 13 to 21, 2009. A SPSS program (Version 11.5) was used to analyze the descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. The data were obtained using scale for evaluating nurse knowledge and attitude for pain developed by McCaffery and Ferrell. The average score of the knowledge and attitude on cancer pain management was 49.5 (±11.2). The scores of sub-dimensions of knowledge on cancer pain management were as follows: pain assessment 51.0, drug administration 46.4, and pharmacokinetics of opioids 51.1. Fifty-two percent of the nursing students were reluctant to administer opioid analgesics for controlling the cancer pain of their future patients. The more the students received education and had clinical experience regarding the cancer pain management, the higher their scores of the knowledge and attitude on the cancer pain management was. The education and clinical experience concerning cancer pain management were critical factor for better knowledge and attitude of undergraduate nursing students. In this regards, developing the specific education and clinical practice program for nursing students on how to manage patient's cancer pain in the curriculum would be beneficial to improve the appropriate cancer management for patients suffering severe cancer pain. (Korean J Str Res 2010;18:337∼344)

• Keywords: Cancer pain, Knowledge, Attitude