Oncology Nurses' inferences of patients' pain

A descriptive, nonexperimental study using a mailed-out questionnaire surveyed 85 Oncology Nursing Society members to determine variables that may affect inferences of patient pain, i.e., nurse’s age, number of years in nursing, number of years in oncology nursing, specialty area within oncology and patient age, sex, and type of illness/injury. The questionnaire incorporated a demographic data sheet and The Standard Measure of Suffering (Davitz & Davitz, 1981), which consisted of 36 patient situations. Data were analyzed, using the subjects’ pain scores, for seven research questions. Nurses perceived: females having more pain than males, middle and younger age groups having more pain than the older group, and patients with trauma or infection having more pain than cancer patients. Nurse’s age, number of years in nursing, number of years in oncology nursing, and specialty area within oncology were found not to be significantly related to perception of patient pain.