http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/services/Feed ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:11820 Professional Doctorate - Doctor of Clinical and Health Psychology 2012-10-26T05:23:38.580Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10393 Professional Doctorate - Doctorate of Clinical and Health Psychology 2012-03-13T01:10:11.596Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:7973 Pain assessments are rarely documented by health care workers outside pain services, which are a contributing factor to poor pain management. The acuity of most wards in major teaching hospitals is such that pain management often competes with overwhelming demands on clinicians’ time and thought processes. Strategies to overcome these barriers to effective pain management include the use of promotional materials as part of a multimodal approach which included face-to-face staff education. The use of visual aides or reminders to clinicians may have a greater impact on changing practice than traditional interventions such as education alone. Many studies in the area use multifaceted programs with a number of interventions combined to produce the desired outcome of changing clinicians’ behaviour and improving care for patients. It has been demonstrated that posters placed at crucial points can assist to ensure that a targeted message can get through to clinical staff. 2012-01-30T05:09:57.068Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9482 This paper reports the findings of an exploratory pilot study which used mixed methods to determine (a) the feasibility of the study design for a larger multi site project and (b) whether a pain education promotion approach, termed ‘Targeting Pain’, using a multidisciplinary educational campaign and promotional media such as staff badges and ward signage, improves the detection and management of pain in older people in an acute care setting. Pre and post evaluation surveys and interviews were used to evaluate the approach. Findings showed an increase in pain assessment and documentation of pain by nursing staff, as well as an increase in the prescription of oral analgesics. However, the study indicated that the uptake regarding pain management from the education campaign was different between professional groups. Although there was a positive response by patients and staff to the use of staff badges, the ward signage failed to attract attention. The mixed methods approach used highlighted several areas that need to be improved for the next phase of the study. 2011-11-28T02:40:04.170Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1504 Objective: To measure the prevalence of pain among residents of rural and regional nursing homes in northern New South Wales and to describe the procedures used for pain management. Design: Cross-sectional survey using interviews and audit of medical records. Setting and participants: 917 nursing home residents in 15 nursing homes within a northern NSW area health service in 1998–1999. Main outcome measures: Number of residents experiencing pain at the time of interview; sites of pain and magnitude of pain problem; diagnoses relevant to pain; analgesic prescribing patterns; non-pharmacological treatments for pain; and the extent of pain documentation in nursing records. Results: The prevalence of pain present at interview was 27.8% (95% CI, 21.8%–33.8%). Women reported pain more often than men (31% v 21%; χ22 = 5.38; P = 0.02), but pain was not significantly associated with age, length of stay, or diagnoses of arthritis or dementia. Common sites for pain were the limbs, joints and back; 22% of residents reporting pain had no record of analgesic medication, and 16% had had no form of pain treatment ordered. Agreement between the nursing record and the residents' pain symptoms was borderline poor/fair (κ, 0.24). Conclusions: The prevalence of pain is high among nursing home residents in rural NSW who are able to communicate their pain. Descriptive data suggest that pain management activities could be substantially improved. 2010-04-27T06:27:17.333Z ]]>