Perceptions of Nurses Regarding Opioid Administration: A cross-sectional study

Background

Opioids are important drugs used in pain management due to their strong analgesic effects. However, there is limited research on nurses' perceptions of administering opioids.

Purpose

This study aims to determine nurses' perceptions of administering opioids.

Design

This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design.

Settings

A university hospital located in the south of Turkey.

Methods

A self-reporting survey was provided to a convenience sample of 190 nurses. The data were collected with the “Introductory Information Form,” and the “Nurses’ Perceptions on Opioid Medications Administration Questionnaire.” Descriptive statistics were applied for data analysis.

Results

The mean age of the nurses was 33.11 ± 7.82 and 86.3% were female. The majority of the nurses did not receive any training on opioid administration other than their undergraduate education. Among the nursing staff, 90.0% expressed the importance of having trust in the prescribing doctor for their comfort in administering opioids. Of the nurses, 30% were undecided about “Nurses associate opioids with drug abuse.” and 78.9% disagreed with the statement "Nurses often associate giving opioids with helping patients to die.”

Conclusions

The results of this study provided further insight into nurses’ perceptions of administering opioids that potentially contribute to pain management. Nurses had information needs and some prejudices regarding opioid administration. Also, relying on the prescribing doctor was important, and problems with prescribing were an obstacle to pain control.

Clinical Implications

Determining the knowledge and needs of nurses regarding opioid administration and providing in-service training on this subject would positively affect their approach to opioids.