Impact of Pain Management Virtual Education on Knowledge and Attitude of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses

Admitted neonates in neonatal intensive care units undergo painful, invasive procedures that can have serious consequences. Nurses have a crucial role in pain management. However, studies have shown that their knowledge and attitude in pain management are not acceptable. The present study was done to study the impact of virtual education in pain management on the nurses working in neonatal intensive care units affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

In this quasi-experimental study, 60 nurses completed knowledge and attitude questionnaires on the neonates’ pain management. Then, they were educated through two virtual education sessions through Adobe Connect. The questionnaires were completed again 8 and 30 days after the educational session. The data was analyzed using SPPSS 21 software through the Bonferroni Test.

There was a significant difference between the mean score of knowledge before (17.48±3.14), one week after (19.37±3.63), and the educational intervention (p<0.001). However, the difference between the mean score of knowledge one week and one month after (19.42±3.41) the intervention was not significant (p=0.998). There was no significant difference between the mean attitude score before (52.78±4.62) and one week after the intervention (52.93±4.58; p=0.096). However, this significantly differed after one month (53.45±4.48; p=0.043).

Virtual education increases nurses' knowledge about pain management in one week; however, it changes their attitude in one month.