Evaluation of the effectiveness of the web-based chronic pain management training program developed for nursing students: Triple-blind randomized controlled trial.

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based chronic pain management training program developed for nursing students. BACKGROUND: Web-based training is effective in increasing the knowledge and attitude levels of nursing students. In the literature, data on the effectiveness of web-based education on chronic pain management education of nursing students are limited. DESIGN: This was a triple-blind randomized controlled trial conducted between May and June 2022. METHODS: The study was conducted with 66 fourth-year students enrolled in the Nursing Department of a state university in a province of Türkiye.. The students were divided into two groups: intervention (n=33) and control (n=33). A dedicated website was developed for chronic pain management training, incorporating video modules, end-of-video evaluation questions and data collection tests, all of which were made available on this platform. The personal information form, chronic pain management knowledge test, Healthcare Professionals' Attitudes toward Patients with Chronic Pain and Chronic Pain Management Training Program Evaluation Form were the data collection tools. In the implementation phase of the study, the pre-test was first applied to the control group via the website and the post-test was applied two weeks later. After the intervention group completed the pre-test, the intervention group was given web-based chronic pain management training for two weeks and the post-test was applied at the end of the training and the data collection was completed. RESULTS: After web-based training chronic pain management, the chronic pain management knowledge score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group (p<0.05). The intervention group had significantly higher scores in sensitivity and misconception orientation, sub-dimensions of the attitude scale towards patients with chronic pain, compared with the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the web-based educational intervention positively increased students' knowledge of chronic pain management and attitudes towards patients with chronic pain. It shows that web-based education is effective in chronic pain management education.

Validity and reliability study in undergraduate healthcare students towards the solution of a neglected problem in working life: Attitude scale towards patients with chronic pain.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is the type of pain that healthcare professionals frequently encounter. Health care students' attitudes towards pain management are not sufficient and this negatively affects their chronic pain management. When students cannot manage the chronic pain they will experience professional burnout, depersonalization, and a decrease in compassion and empathy in patient care. Therefore, the first step in improving health care students' attitudes towards patients with chronic pain is to determine their attitudes. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to test the validity and reliability of the Scale for Healthcare Professionals' Attitudes towards Patients with Chronic Pain (HCPAPCP Scale) in healthcare students. METHOD: This quantitative study was conducted with 205 health care students in January-February 2022. Data were collected online with Personal Information Form and the HCPAPCP Scale. To determine the reliability of the scale, internal consistency and test-retest, and for construct validity, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed. RESULTS: The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed that the two-factor scale consisting of 18 items, the factor structure, and the distribution of factors in items were the same as the findings of the original scale. The Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was 0.88 for the first factor and 0.74 for the second factor. Test-retest reliability was 0.60. In confirmatory factor analysis, the model had a good and acceptable fit. CONCLUSION: We found that the HCPAPCP Scale was valid and reliable in healthcare students.

Health Care Professionals' Attitudes Toward Patients with Chronic Pain: Scale Development Study.

BACKGROUND: One of the obstacles in chronic pain management is the attitude of healthcare professionals. Although literature reports that the negative attitudes of healthcare professionals such as stigmatizing their patients with chronic pain and applying inadequate treatment cause failure in chronic pain management, there is no scale to measure the attitudes of healthcare professionals towards patients with chronic pain. PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a scale for identifying healthcare professionals' attitudes towards patients with chronic pain. METHOD: We prepared a draft scale in the form of five-point Likert. We applied the draft scale to 379 voluntary healthcare professionals working in two hospitals in 2019. Internal consistency and testretest methods were employed to determine the reliability of the scale. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used for construct validity. FINDINGS: According to the EFA, the scale had two factors explaining 45.68 of the total variant. We labelled the first factor "sensitivity orientation" and the second factor was labelled "misconception orientation". Cronbach Alpha coefficients were 0.88 and 0.75 for the first and second factors respectively. Test-retest method reliability was r = 0.83 in the first factor and r = 0.75 in the second factor. The CFA showed that they were within the limits of acceptable fit values. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that the scale for healthcare professionals' attitudes towards patients with chronic pain is a valid and reliable tool.

Effect of music therapy on nursing students' first objective structured clinical exams, anxiety levels and vital signs: A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Music is a tool that can be used to reduce stress and anxiety, maintain vital signs at normal levels, and increase exam success. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the effect of music therapy on nursing students' first objective structured clinical exam success, anxiety levels, and vital signs, and to reveal their views about music therapy in the context of an exam. DESIGN: Mixed-pattern single-blind randomized controlled qualitative study. SETTING: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey. PARTICIPANTS: First-year students enrolled in the Fundamentals of Nursing II course were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 61) or control group (n = 64). Twenty-two (22) experimental group students provided the sample for the qualitative stage. METHODS: Data were collected between February and June 2018 using the Informative Features Form, State-trait Anxiety Inventory, Vital Signs Assessment Form, Skill Checklists, and Focus-group Interview Form. All students completed the theoretical classes, laboratory classes, and small-group studies. The experimental group participated in five music therapy sessions two weeks before the exam. All students' vital signs were measured before and after the exam. Three focus group interviews were conducted with the 22 experimental group students in the week after the exam. RESULTS: The blood pressure values of the experimental group before and after the exam were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between exam success and anxiety levels between the two groups. In the focus group interviews, students said they found music therapy suitable for reducing anxiety in their daily lives, but not before the exam. CONCLUSIONS: Music therapy had positive effects on the students' blood pressure but had no effect on exam success or anxiety levels. This study suggests that more music therapy sessions be conducted with different groups of students in greater numbers before different exams.