Physicians’ Knowledge and Attitude on Assessment and Management of Chronic Pain at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the knowledge and attitude of Physicians toward assessment and management of pain through an online questionnaire at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan.

Methodology: This study was conducted at Peoples Medical College Hospital (PMCH) Nawabshah Sindh Pakistan from January to the first week of February 2024 and the participants of study were Physicians working in medical as well as surgical disciplines. After taking permission from Institutional Ethical Review Committee, fifty-five (n=55) Physicians participated in the study by filling the online questionnaire that included a demographic section and a self-reported well validated questionnaire titled “Revised Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire (RPKAQ)”. Completely filled questionnaires were analyzed by using SPSS version 23.

Results: The mean RPKAQ scores obtained was 63.82 % ± 7.98 SD. Only three (3) out of fifty-five (55) participants (5.45%) were able to achieve >75% marks that was the cut-off value to determine the adequacy of knowledge and attitude towards chronic pain. Maximum marks were obtained by Anesthesiologists 87.5% (n=02), followed by cardiologist 75% (n=01) and neurologists 67.8% (n=02). Overall understanding about basic knowledge and physiology of pain was found equal though inadequate i.e. 63%. Maximum mean score was achieved for the cognitive/ behavioral methods of pain relief i.e. 70.9% and minimum score was obtained for the ‘assessment of pain’ i.e. 49.8%.

Conclusion: This study revealed an inadequate level of pain knowledge in the domains of the assessment and pharmacological management of chronic pain among Physicians who participated to this study.  It identified the need to plan a more aggressive continuous medical educational plan on pain to improve the current situation.

Key Words: Chronic Pain, Physicians, Knowledge, Attitudes, Pain assessment and management, questionnaire

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