Nurses' use of non-pharmacological pain management methods in intensive care units: A descriptive cross-sectional study

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Pain is a common and unpleasant feeling among patients in intensive care units. Therefore, the use of proper pain management methods, such as non-pharmacological interventions, is a priority in intensive care units. This study aimed to ascertain the extent of the use of non-pharmacological pain management methods by intensive care unit nurses in Iran and to identify the obstacles that hindered the use of these methods. This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design which involved a convenience sample of 224 nurses who worked in 16 intensive care units across northern Iran. Data were collected using the non-pharmacological pain management questionnaire and a researcher-developed checklist of the obstacles that hindered the use of non-pharmacological pain management methods. A moderate number of ICU nurses used non-pharmacological pain management methods (55.8 %). The most common method used by nurses was repositioning (M = 2.72), while methods such as acupuncture and reflexology were used less frequently. Furthermore, the most common obstacles to the use of non-pharmacological pain management methods were nurses' fatigue (M = 2.92) and multiple responsibilities (M = 2.91). Demographic variables such as age, gender, educational level, and work experience were not significantly associated with the use of non-pharmacological pain management methods. Due to factors such as fatigue, multiple responsibilities, a heavy workload, and an insufficient number of nurses per shift, the rate of utilization of non-pharmacological pain management methods among intensive care unit nurses in Iran was low. Furthermore, most of the participants in this study had not attended courses on non-pharmacological pain management.