Hamilton and Edgar (1992) argue that most studies
concentrate on postoperative pain or malignant disease and
identify attitudes and beliefs as an explanation for ineffective
pain management, rather than lack of knowledge.
Consequently, Hamilton and Edgar (1992) adapted the pain
knowledge and attitude survey by McCaffery (1989) to
examine nurses’ knowledge and understanding of the
physiological/pharmacological aspects of pain assessment
and management, a direct contrast to isolating attitudes and
beliefs of nurses. The results of the study indicated that
nursing staff had incorrect or incomplete knowledge regarding
basic concepts and principles in the areas of:
• Differences between acute and chronic pain;
• True risks of addiction;
• Duration of the action of analgesia;
• Equivalent doses of analgesia.
The authors concluded that inadequacies in the pain
management process may not be tied to myth and bias
originating from general attitudes and beliefs, but reflective of
inadequate pain knowledge. King (2004) identified how
nurses confirm that they have a limited understanding of
pharmacology and claim they are dissatisfied with the
educational experience, leading to feelings of anxiety following
qualification. The nurses acknowledged that they needed
pharmacological knowledge to underpin their practice of
patient assessment, nurse prescribing and drug administration