Determinants of Knowledge of Pain among Nurses in a Tertiary Hospital in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Poorly controlled pain in patients is related to several complications, such as increased nosocomial infections and mortality, where nurses play a crucial role. AIMS: To analyze determinants of pain as well as nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain in the inpatient services of a tertiary center in the Spanish public health network. METHODS: The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain questionnaire was administered to all nurses in the center from January to March 2019. Additional sociodemographic variables, such as gender, age, employment status, work experience, professional group, and academic degree, were collected and analyzed. Item Response Theory was used for discriminant analysis of each question and its relationship with the final score. RESULTS: A total of 282 questionnaires were collected from those distributed among nurses working in medical, surgical, oncological, and intensive care services. The average score obtained on pain-related knowledge and attitudes was 58.89%. We found significant differences (p < .001) between the KASRP score and the professional group score. There were no differences in final score based on academic level or age. Questions related to pharmacology resulted in low scores and did not discriminate between levels of knowledge, being considered difficult. We did not find items that allowed discriminating between levels of knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: A knowledge gap exists regarding nurses' pharmacological and assessment concepts, and there are differences in knowledge depending on professional group. The KASRP allows for a good discrimination of low levels of knowledge.

Spanish Version of the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain.

A variety of valid tools are available to assess staff knowledge and attitudes regarding pain, among which is the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain. Although this instrument has been widely and successfully used, a valid and adapted Spanish version is yet to be developed. The purpose of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain. After translating and back-translating this tool, we conducted a cross-cultural adaptation and construct validation with 102 participants, including nursing professionals (in palliative care, oncology, and intensive care) from five health centers and final-year nursing students. All participants were recruited in the Principality of Asturias, Spain. We also evaluated the internal consistency and test-retest correlations. Cronbach's α was .781, and Pearson's r and the intraclass correlation coefficient between the test and retest scores were .881 and .883, respectively. The mean questionnaire scores in the test and retest phases were 65.8% and 67.6%, respectively. Palliative care nurses had the highest score, 70.8%, which differed significantly from the rest of the groups. The Spanish version of the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain can effectively differentiate nursing staff in terms of their pain expertise. The results indicate that Spanish nurses have a gap in pharmacologic knowledge that is comparable to that found in other countries, but their foundation in general pain concepts was solid.

Quality of life as assessed by adults with cerebral palsy.

AIM: We explored the quality of life of adults with cerebral palsy without an intellectual disability and the predictors of quality of life. BACKGROUND: Because cerebral palsy is a disease that manifests in childhood, much of the research into quality of life for those dealing with it focuses on children; there are few studies that evaluate the quality of life of adults with cerebral palsy. Therefore, it is important to consider their perceptions in order to improve their general wellbeing and self-determination. DESIGN: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. METHOD: Quality of life was measured using the GENCAT Quality of Life Scale. Demographic and personal variables were also collected and examined. Participants comprised 75 adults (58.7 percent men, mean age = 40.84 years) with cerebral palsy who were members of the National Cerebral Palsy Association of Spain between 2014 and 2015. A linear multivariate model was examined as well. RESULTS: The overall mean score indicator of participants' quality of life was 103.29, which corresponds to the 56.6th percentile on the GENCAT scale. Examining the level of qualification, we found significant differences in the factors "personal development" and "self-determination," and those with a university education obtained higher scores than their less-educated counterparts. Having a partner was related to higher quality of life standard scores. After constructing a linear model, it was observed that maintaining sexual relationships was another factor that increased participants' quality of life. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of social and romantic relationships to achieve a better quality of life in adults with cerebral palsy who do not have an intellectual disability. Social integration and sexuality education programs should be developed to improve their quality of life.

Hepatitis C and HIV coinfection in central region of Argentina: prevalence, genotype characterization and risk factors.

BACKGROUND: This is the first study reporting the epidemiological and molecular characterization of HCV/HIV coinfection in the central region of Argentina. METHOD: Cross-sectional, epidemiological study (2003-2004). STATISTICS: multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of HCV/HIV coinfection was 12.3%. HCV genotype 1 was the most prevalent (73%). Intravenous drug use was the main independent risk factor for acquiring HCV infection. However, an alternative route (sexual) for viral transmission was suggested. CONCLUSIONS: These results underscore the potential public health impact of HCV/HIV coinfection in our region.