Abstract:
Background: Management of cancer pain is complex mostly due to the lack of knowledge
of healthcare providers, and patient education on how to actively participate in pain
management. Nurses remain the first responders when it comes to the management of
patients with cancer pain.
Study aim: To investigate nurses‟ knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding cancer pain
management at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali.
Methods: A cross sectional quantitative design was used with a proportionate systematic
sampling strategy which consisted of 140 nurses in the emergency, medical and surgical
ward respectively in the UTHK after their consent to participate. Data were collected using a
questionnaire called Nurses Knowledge and Attitudes Survey regarding pain (NKAS) and
analyzed using both inferential and descriptive statistics by SPSS version 23. The theoretical
framework that guided this study was Katharine Kolcaba Comfort Theory.
Results: The study revealed a deficit in knowledge regarding opioid use, whereby less than
a half (37.1%) of the respondents mentioned that it takes an estimate of 1-2 hours to reach
peak effect and (61.1%) knew that knew that if the source of pain is unknown, opioids are
contraindicated. It revealed negative attitudes regarding cancer pain management whereby
the majority (64.3%) accepted that a nurse can determine the pain intensity without asking
the patient and only 10.7% assessed pain regularly ( six times per day). Alarmingly, (60.7%)
the mainstream accepted that placebo injection of distilled water is useful to determine if the
patient has real pain.
Conclusion: There are some knowledge deficits and misconceptions about pain assessment
and management in cancer patients suggesting that pain is being inappropriately managed in
this setting.
