{
  "abstract": "Background and Objectives Effective pain management in the Emergency Department (ED) is a fundamental care issue. The published literature suggests that there may be concerns regarding emergency nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards pain management and its impact on care delivery. This study aimed to assess emergency nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards pain management in the ED.Methods A survey design was employed to collect data from nurses working in a single ED in the south of Ireland. Data were collected electronically using a modified version of the KARSP scale for knowledge and attitudes towards pain management via Qualtrics. Demographic data were also collected from participants to enable the identification of potential influences on knowledge and attitudes. Ethical approval was granted to conduct the study by Cork Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Committee. The survey link was sent to n=85 nurses working in the ED with n=63 responses of which n=38 (45%) provided usable data.Findings/Results Knowledge and attitude scores ranged from 42.9% to 88.1% with a mean score of 67.4%. Only 10.5% of respondents scored ≥80%, indicating nearly 9 in 10 participants had suboptimal knowledge and attitudes towards pain. Key gaps identified, included misconceptions about opioids and dosage, pain assessment and perceptions of patient behaviour; for example only 45% of nurses correctly identified that patients may sleep despite severe pain. Specialist emergency nursing education improved performance with 30% scoring ≥ 80% versus 0% among those without. Two thirds (66%) reported no formal pain management training.  Abstract #164 Table 1Results of univariable analyses investigating factors associated with knowledge & attitude. (n=38*)Conclusion Despite recognising pain management’s importance, emergency nurses showed notable knowledge and attitude gaps, particularly regarding pain assessment and the use of opioid medication. Specialist training improved performance. Comprehensive, ongoing pain management education is essential to enhance emergency nursing practice. *presenting author",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Emergency Department, University Hospital Kerry, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Laura McCarthy"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Patrick Cotter"
    }
  ],
  "title": "#164 Emergency nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward pain management in an Irish ED – a descriptive correlational study",
  "uid": "c33c7355-10cf-5857-8678-998fb2d94153"
}