Pain Knowledge and Attitudes of Final-year Medical Students at the University of Cape Town: A Cross-sectional Survey

Overview

Journal Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med

Specialty Public Health

Date 2020 Aug 14

PMID 32787409

Authors

Blessing Mashanda-Tafaune

Janieke van Nugteren

Romy Parker

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Pain is the most common presenting complaint in patients visiting a healthcare facility. Healthcare professionals need adequate knowledge of pain to be able to manage it effectively.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the pain knowledge and attitudes of the 2018 final-year medical students at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Setting: This study was conducted by the Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences, UCT, South Africa, with final-year medical students.

Methods: Unruh's Modified Pain Knowledge and Attitudes (MPKA) questionnaire was utilised to collect data in a cross-sectional survey using an Internet-based electronic format.

Results: A total of 104 students out of 232 students in the class (44.8%) participated in the study. The total median score on the MPKA questionnaire was 46 (interquartile range [IQR] 44-50.5) out of 57, or 80.7% (IQR 77.2-88.6%). The participants performed worst in the section on the pharmacological management of pain with median scores of 6 (IQR 4-8) (55%) correct out of 11 questions.

Conclusion: Pain knowledge, especially with regard to the pharmacological aspects of pain management, has some important deficiencies in these final-year medical students. It appears that the undergraduate curriculum and teaching thereof would benefit from a review of the pain curriculum.

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