Nurses' pain management practices in Ontario long-term care homes

Abstract

Pain is the most prevalent medical problem that elderly persons experience in a long-term care home. Nurses play an essential role in managing their pain. The purpose of this study was to explore nurses’ pain management practices in Ontario long-term care homes facilities. The ultimate aim was to recommend measures for effective pain management in aged people. The setting for this study was a selected long-term care home in Ontario, Canada, a 160-bed nursing home for aged people offering various medical care services. Semi-structured focus group interviews, averaging approximately one hour, were conducted. The population of this study was 45 nurses. The researcher used a purposive sampling method to select a sample of 25 nurses. Open-ended questions were used to explore pain management practices and to find barriers to effective pain management. Qualitative data analysis was used to review the data to identify common issues that recurred, and they were summarised in a narrative form. This study demonstrated the importance of recognising and overcoming barriers to the effective management of pain and reinforcing good practices in long-term care homes. Therefore, improved pain management practices are required to manage pain in a long-term care home effectively.