The Impact of Nurses' Beliefs, Attitudes, and Cultural Sensitivity on the Management of Patient Pain.

INTRODUCTION: Nurses' attitudes and beliefs may impact pain management. This study investigated nurses' perceptions regarding their own and patients' pain experiences by examining relationships between pain cautiousness and stoicism, cultural sensitivity, and personal pain attitudes. METHODOLOGY: A correlational methodology examined nursing staff in a Midwestern private hospital. The sample included 102 primarily female (95.1%), Caucasian (97%), and married (66%) nursing staff. Measures included the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale, Pain Attitudes Questionnaire to Assess Stoicism and Cautiousness, and the Pain Management: Nurses' Knowledge and Attitude Survey. RESULTS: Cultural sensitivity was a significant predictor of pain knowledge and attitudes total score (R2 = .081, ß = .244, p = .040), while pain stoicism and pain cautiousness were not predictive. DISCUSSION: Findings highlight the importance of nurses being aware of personal attitudes, beliefs, and cultural sensitivity in pain management. Results also demonstrate a gap between the knowledge and utilization of nonpharmacologic pain management interventions among nursing staff.

Spiritual growth and decline among patients with cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To investigate spiritual transformation among patients with cancer. DESIGN: Longitudinal. SETTING: A university medical center in the midwestern United States. SAMPLE: 47 adult cancer survivors. METHODS: Patients were asked about spirituality, religious and spiritual importance, religious coping, and spiritual gain and decline at baseline as well as nine months post-treatment. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Religious importance, religious coping, and spiritual gain or decline. FINDINGS: Positive religious coping at baseline predicted spiritual growth at the nine-month follow-up point. Spiritual decline was predicted by negative religious importance. A bivariate relationship existed between increased levels of negative religious coping and increased spiritual growth. CONCLUSIONS: Positive religious coping strategies may influence spiritual transformation. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Healthcare providers who support a strengths-based perspective on human functioning may be equipped to perform research on spiritual or religious interventions for patients with cancer. KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION: Greater use of spiritual resources, even if conceptualized as negative religious coping mechanisms or initial spiritual decline, may contribute to increased levels of spiritual growth later. When acting as expert companions, healthcare providers may facilitate spiritual growth by addressing spiritual transformation, creating safe environments for exploring spirituality, becoming familiar with different religious faiths, and seeking appropriate consultation and referrals for patients.