Pain is a common clinical symptom that significantly affects patients’ quality of life and recovery outcomes. Effective pain management is essential in healthcare settings, as untreated or poorly managed pain can lead to complications such as prolonged hospital stays, increased morbidity, and reduced patient satisfaction (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024). Pain assessment plays a fundamental role in pain management, allowing healthcare providers to determine the severity, nature, and impact of pain on a patient’s well-being. Among healthcare professionals, nurses are at the frontline of pain assessment, making nurse-led pain evaluation a critical component of patient care.
Nurse-led pain assessment involves the use of standardized pain scales, patient interviews, and clinical observations to evaluate pain intensity and response to treatment. Studies have shown that when nurses take an active role in pain assessment, there is an improvement in pain management outcomes, including better analgesic administration, timely intervention, and enhanced patient comfort (Adeyemi & Yusuf, 2023). However, despite the importance of nurse-led pain assessment, many healthcare institutions in Nigeria, including Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Sokoto, face challenges such as inadequate training, time constraints, and the underutilization of pain assessment tools (Bello et al., 2024).
At FMC, Sokoto, there is limited research on the effectiveness of nurse-led pain assessment in improving patient outcomes. Given the increasing emphasis on patient-centered care, it is crucial to examine how empowering nurses in pain assessment contributes to better pain management strategies. This study aims to evaluate the impact of nurse-led pain assessment on pain management outcomes, identify potential barriers, and recommend strategies for enhancing nursing involvement in pain evaluation and treatment.
Pain management remains a significant challenge in Nigerian healthcare settings, with many patients reporting inadequate pain relief due to improper assessment and delayed intervention (Ogunleye et al., 2024). Nurses, being the primary caregivers, are in the best position to assess and manage pain, yet their role in pain assessment is often underutilized or poorly structured. At FMC, Sokoto, patients frequently experience unmanaged pain, which negatively affects their recovery, satisfaction, and overall health outcomes.
A key issue is the inconsistency in the use of pain assessment tools among nurses, leading to subjective evaluations and inappropriate pain management interventions. Additionally, there is a lack of continuous training programs to equip nurses with updated pain assessment techniques. Without an effective nurse-led pain assessment approach, pain management outcomes will continue to be suboptimal. Therefore, this study seeks to explore the impact of nurse-led pain assessment on pain relief and recovery outcomes, with the aim of identifying gaps and proposing interventions for improved pain management.
This study focuses on nurses working at FMC, Sokoto, and their role in pain assessment. Limitations may include nurses’ reluctance to discuss challenges due to workplace policies and difficulty in quantifying subjective pain experiences reported by patients.
Background of the Study
Teacher training is a fundamental element in ensuring the quality of early childh...
Abstract: The research explores the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on adult education initiatives. This study aimed to determ...
Background of the Study
Social media engagement has reshaped language use, and vlog narratives have emerged as a popular f...
Background of the Study
Access to essential drugs is a critical component of an effective healthcare sy...
Background of the Study
Responsibility accounting is a system that assigns responsibility for specific financial outcomes t...
Background of the Study
Chatbot systems have become an integral part of customer service in various industries, leveraging artificial int...
Background of the Study: Occupational health services (OHS) are essential for protecting workers from occupa...
Background of the Study
Financial record-keeping is an essential aspect of managing any business, particularly for cooperatives operating...
Background of the Study
Robust regulatory frameworks are essential for ensuring transparency, stability, and sound governan...
Background of the Study
As universities increasingly become more diverse, with students from various linguistic backgrounds, the ability to...