Do No Harm: Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Pain Management

Colleen Johnston-Devin; Lisa Beccaria; Marina Cousins; Adele Baldwin; Patrick H. Du Preez; Katrina Lane-Krebs

doi:10.1016/j.pmn.2025.10.012

Back

Do No Harm: Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Pain Management

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Do No Harm: Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Pain Management

Colleen Johnston-Devin, Lisa Beccaria, Marina Cousins, Adele Baldwin, Patrick H. Du Preez and Katrina Lane-Krebs

Pain Management Nursing, Vol.Advanced access

25-Nov-2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2025.10.012

PMID: 41298215

Files and links (1)

pdf

1-s2.0-S1524904225003030-main566.66 kBDownload View

Published Version (Advanced Access) Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Attitudes

Nursing Assessment

Nursing Students

Pain

Pain management

Background Nurses play an important role in effectively assessing and managing patients’ pain. There is limited evidence in relation to Australian undergraduate nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and management of pain and this study attempts to address this gap. Objective To explore the current knowledge and attitudes to pain management among undergraduate nursing students. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of 150 undergraduate nursing students from three Australian regional universities measuring student knowledge and attitudes toward pain management and assessment using the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) tool between May and September 2023. Results The average scores for each year level in relation to the total KASRP were Year 1 (M = 22.98; SD = 4.74), Year 2 (M = 25.09; SD = 4.46), and Year 3 (M = 27.27; SD = 4.22). There were statistically significant differences in KASRP scores between students across the three years of the program. The results also indicated that very few students were able to achieve the overall pass rate (80%). Additionally, medication knowledge was an identified aspect of pain management poorly answered. Conclusions Nursing students’ pain knowledge and attitudes appear to improve throughout their undergraduate program, however there are significant knowledge deficits that may impede the ability to assess and manage pain in clinical practice. This knowledge may be helpful for nursing educators and curriculum developers to develop strategies to address this gap.

Details

Title: Do No Harm: Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Pain Management
Authors: Colleen Johnston-Devin (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nursing
Lisa Beccaria - University of Southern Queensland
Marina Cousins - Central Queensland University
Adele Baldwin - Central Queensland University
Patrick H. Du Preez - University of New England
Katrina Lane-Krebs - Central Queensland University
Publication details: Pain Management Nursing, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Elsevier Inc.
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2025.10.012
ISSN: 1532-8635
PMID: 41298215
Copyright note: © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Society for Pain Management Nursing. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Grant note: This research was partially supported by a CQUniversity School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences Stimulus Scheme grant. RSH/6502 HE4793.
Organisation Unit: Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; School of Health - Nursing
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991192243402621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

3 File views/ downloads

14 Record Views