Effectiveness of a structured teaching programme on knowledge and attitudes regarding various paediatric pain assessment scales among nurses working in selected hospitals in Chennai

Abstract

Assessment of pain in pediatric patients is essential for effective pain management. There are various pain assessment tools available, such as FLACC, WONG BAKERS, and VISUAL ANALOG, but the application of this scale requires adequate knowledge and competence. This study has the title' Effectiveness of a Structured Teaching Programme on Knowledge and Attitudes toward Pediatric Pain Assessment Scales in Selected Hospitals of Chennai.' A quasi-experimental design was employed for the study, involving a total of 30 nurses. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique and assigned to the experimental group (n = 15) and the control group (n = 15). A pre-test was administered to all 30 participants using a structured knowledge questionnaire comprising 30 multiple-choice items to assess knowledge, along with an attitude scale to measure the perceptions regarding pediatric pain assessment scales. The experimental group subsequently received a one-hour structured teaching programme focused on pediatric pain assessment scales. Following the intervention, a post-test was conducted for both the experimental and control groups using the same assessment tools. The findings indicated a statistically significant improvement in knowledge in the experimental group, as demonstrated by an increase in mean scores and a p-value of less than 0.05. In contrast, the control group showed no statistically significant change in either knowledge or attitude, as indicated by a non-significant p-value (p = 0.359). These results suggest that the structured teaching programme had a positive and statistically significant impact on both knowledge and attitude in the experimental group compared to the control group.