Critical Care Pain Management: Evaluating Staff Nurses’ Knowledge and Practice in Ventilated Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background Effective pain management is essential for critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients who are often unable to communicate their pain verbally. Nurses play a pivotal role in assessing and managing pain in such patients. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and practice of pain management among ICU nurses caring for ventilated patients and to examine the associations between these variables and selected demographic characteristics. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 ICU nurses at IMS & SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Participants were selected using convenience sampling and included nurses with at least six months of ICU experience and direct patient care responsibilities. Data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire comprising three sections: demographic details, knowledge assessment (10 Yes/No items), and practice assessment (10 items on a 3-point Likert scale). Descriptive statistics summarized the data, while Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to identify associations between variables. Results The study revealed that 17.5% of nurses had poor knowledge, while 82.5% had average knowledge, and none achieved a good knowledge score. All participants (100%) demonstrated good practice. Knowledge level was significantly associated with professional qualification (p = 0.010), working area (p = 0.001), and position (p = 0.049). Practice level was significantly associated with age (p = 0.044) and job experience (p = 0.031). Conclusions Although nurses demonstrated strong practice in pain management, the predominance of average knowledge underscores the need for ongoing education and training to enhance competencies in critical care pain management.