Exploring Pain Management by Nurses among Road Traffic Accident Casualties at a Military Hospital in Ghana

Abstract

The quest for pain relief has been the reason why casualties visit the emergency department to seek appropriate intervention. The aim of the study was to explore pain management by nurses among Road Traffic Accident casualties at the 37 Military Hospital. A qualitative descriptive design guided by the caregiver aspect of the Social Communication Model of Pain (Craig, 2009) was used in the study. Purposive sampling technique was employed to recruit thirteen nurses from the trauma surgical emergency unit of the 37 Military Hospital. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data was manually analysed and four themes were generated using thematic content approach. These were; nurses’ pain assessment of casualties, nurses’ pain management of casualties, nurses’ personal pain experiences and institutional factors influencing casualties’ pain assessment and management. The study identified the importance of application of adequate knowledge of pain assessment and management in the intervention of RTA casualties’ pain. Personal pain experiences of nurses turn to influence their pain management. The study also identified inadequate staff and logistics, lack of training and protocols and limited working space to adversely affect pain management of road traffic accident casualties. The study concluded with the recommendation that nurses at the emergency units to be adequately knowledgeable in pain management and have access to an environment that can meet the pain relief expectations of casualties