Comparing the pain perception in nurses and patients

Abstract

Introduction: Pain is the most important and the most popular nursing diagnosis in ICUs of open-heart surgery. It must be relieved as soon as possible because it may cause severe harm to the patients. The accompanied signs and symptoms possibly affect the perception of pain by nurses. It is a logical method that the nurses relieve the pain, which depends on the patients situation and also, the current professional rules that allows nurses to administer drugs in ICUs. Is the perception of patients pain by nurses the same as the patients perception of pain? Knowing the answer of this question is important for nurses to perform proper patient care.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. The samples were selected in two groups (patients and nurses). The sample size included 30 patients and 30 nurses. Questionnaires and pain numeric visual scale were used to gather the data. The data were analyzed by SPSS software.

Results: According to the gathered data, there were significant differences in pain perception between nurses and patients at several situations (P= 0/001) such as before and after pain relief.

Conclusion: Perception of pain by nurses depends on several factors and must be modified because it is one of the most effective factors in decision making for relief of patients pain.