KNOWLEDGE OF NURSES ON ACUTE PAIN ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSIS AMONG POST-OPERATIVE PATIENTS IN FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE, OWO, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Pain is one of the commonest reasons why individuals visit various hospitals for treatment. It gives people capability to be aware of tissue trauma. Despite enormous technological advances and substantial research in the area of pain management in recent years, numerous studies indicate that post-operative pain is not relieved in most patients. The target population was nurses involved in the care of post-operative patients. Ninety- three nurses that consented in surgical wards in the study setting filled the questionnaire while seventeen out of them were involved in in-depth interview and they were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed that a very low percentage of the respondents (18.3%) had adequate knowledge of pain and its assessment. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that there was no significant association between nurses? educational qualification and knowledge of acute pain. Likewise, there was no significant association between nurses? years of experience and knowledge of acute pain as well. It is therefore of high importance that nurses update their knowledge especially on assessment and diagnosis of acute pain this is one of the major reasons while many individuals are hospitalized. It is also necessary to be able to bridge the gap between theory and practice.