TABLE 3.
Educational needs and weighted scores identified and prioritized by health care providers working in three long-term care facilities
| Physicians and pharmacists | Rehabilitation professionals | Nurses | Orderlies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pain assessment (13.2) | Pain assessment (18.9) | Pain assessment (15.1) | Pain assessment (15.9) |
| 2 | Pharmacological management of pain (8.4) | Clinical signs of pain (11.0) | Pharmacological management of pain (14.0) | Proper positioning and mobilizing techniques (13.0) |
| 3 | Accumulation of pharmacological agents: when to progress or substitute (5.3) | Nonpharmacological modalities in pain management (10.0) | Pain neurophysiology (13.3) | Nonpharmacological modalities in pain management (9.3) |
| 4 | Nonpharmacological modalities in pain management (4.6) | Pain neurophysiology (8.7) | Clinical signs of pain (9.5) | Painful pathologies in the elderly (7.6) |
| 5 | Pain neurophysiology (3.9) | Specific roles of HCPs in pain management strategies (4.6) | Pain management for palliative care patients (8.1) | When to stop active treatment and start comfort care (5.9) |
| 6 | Pharmacological treatments in relation to comorbidities (3.6) | Pharmacological management of pain (4.4) | Nonpharmacological modalities in pain management (7.1) | How to reassure the patient (4.9) |
| 7 | Managing side effects of pharmacotherapy (2.8) | When to stop active treatment and start comfort care (3.7) | Biopsychosocial impacts of pain (2.5) | Best communication strategies between HCPs (3.7) |
| 8 | Specific roles of HCPs in pain management strategies (2.6) | When to pay particular attention to clinical signs of pain (3.5) | Education of family members (1.9) | Do’s and don’ts in regard to patients’ medical history (3.3) |
| 9 | Clinical signs of pain (1.5) | Pain management algorithm (3.3) | How to mobilize patients without enhancing pain (1.0) | How to distinguish acute versus chronic pain (3.0) |
| 10 | Management of episodic pain (1.3) | Effectiveness of pain management strategies (3.1) | Long-term assessment of pain (0.6) | Psychosocial impacts of pain (2.4) |
| 11 | Establishing the best analgesic dose without inducing functional impairments (0.6) | Consequences and impact of chronic pain (2.7) | Painful pathologies in the elderly (0.3) | Pharmacological management of pain (2.3) |
| 12 | Invasive treatment modalities (0.57) | Best communication strategies between HCPs (2.2) | How to identify dependence on opioids (0.25) | Why patients in pain are often aggressive (2.0) |
| 13 | Intra-articular injections (0.6) | Active approaches to treat pain in the elderly (1.9) | Treatment of pain in demented patients (0.3) | Cancer-related pain (1.1) |
| 14 | Functional impacts of pain in LTCF residents (0.3) | How pain and dementia interact and affect mobility (1.5) | Systematic monitoring of pain in old persons (0.1) | Role of nutrition in pain (0.9) |
| 15 | Misbeliefs of HCPs and families regarding the use of opioids (0.1) | Pain management at the end of life (0.5) | ||
| Cancer-related pain (0.4) |
Numbers in parentheses represent the final score obtained for each item based on calculations described in the data analysis section. Specific items that were identified among the majority of health care provider categories are coded in shades of grey for easier identification. HCP Health care providers; LTCF Long-term care facilities