BACKGROUND: Nurses play an important role in providing holistic care and effective pain management, which is significantly associated with their knowledge and attitudes. Limited evidence is available from Vietnamese nursing studies evaluating the knowledge and attitudes of nurses toward pain management. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of Vietnamese nurses and identify factors associated with pain management. METHODS: This study used a descriptive and cross-sectional design and was conducted at a national hospital in Vietnam from May to June 2021. Nurses working in all clinical units were surveyed to collect demographic data and assessed using the structured Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) scale. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with knowledge and attitudes. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-nine nurses completed the survey, including 152 (54.5%) who read books or journals about pain, 25 (9.0%) who reported the use of unit-based pain guidelines, and 77 (27.6%) who used a numeric rating tool. The mean number of correct answers on the KASRP was 23.34 (mean KASRP correct percentage of 54.9%), and only 16 nurses (5.7%) had passing scores. Having a bachelor's degree or higher, reading books or journals about pain, using a numeric rating tool, and using unit-based pain guidelines were significantly associated with higher KASRP scores (P < .01) among nurses. CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge and attitudes of nurses regarding pain management were far from satisfactory. Regular pain management training, access to pain-related reading materials, and the frequent use of a numeric tool to assess pain intensity are recommended to enhance the quality of care for patients provided by clinical nurses.
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