EDUCATIONAL ASPECTS TO INCREASE THE CONTRIBUTION ROLE OF THE NURSE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH ONCOLOGICAL DISEASES

Abstract

Introduction: The widespread prevalence of pain indicates the need for comprehensive pain education for all nurses. They have an essential role in the assessment and management of acute and chronic pain. Health care professionals serve as the patient's care coordinators to facilitate the selfmanagement plan.

Purpose: The aim of this report is to explore the attitudes, knowledge and further training needs of nurses regarding pain management in cancer patients.

Materials and methods: The study was carried out in November 2022. A total of 62 nurses from the Shumen Medical Center were surveyed. When carrying out the scientific research, sociological methods were used through our own developed toolkit - survey card and statistical methods for displaying graphs.

Results and discussion: The results reflect the opinion of the respondents that a significant part expressed their agreement for professional upgrading (77%). A large part of the nurses are of the opinion that they want to increase their educational and qualification level (61%) and for better realization (19%). First of all, regarding what should be studied in additional training, more than a quarter of nurses indicated pain assessment, its measurement and recording in the nursing record (27%). According to a significant part of the respondents, they are familiar with the Consensus for quality oncological care (58%).

Conclusion: The inclusion of nurses in additional training will complement their knowledge and enable them to provide quality health care. It is a process of continuous lifelong learning, responsive to the needs of the individual and the relevant community.