Oncology nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards cancer pain management: a cross-sectional analytic study at Oncology Hospital, Iraq.

Abstract

Background & objective: Cancer is the leading cause of rapidly increasing morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Cancer pain is the most common subjective symptoms that require oncology nurses to be vigilant in assessing and managing cancer-related pain. The purpose of the present study is to investigate and describe the level of nurses’ knowledge and attitudes concerning cancer-related pain management in the oncology nurses.
Methodology: A cross-sectional analytic descriptive design employed with a convenience sampling of 102 nurses from the Oncology Hospital in Iraq, during the period from March to April 2025. Data were collected via an Arabic version of the widely used self-administered questionnaire of the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP).
Results: The researchers determined that participants had a low level of knowledge and attitudes regarding cancer pain management, with an overall mean score (12.86). Moreover, there was no relationship among respondents’ knowledge, attitudes, and their sociodemographic variables.
Conclusion: Inadequate knowledge and attitudes toward cancer-related pain can negatively impact patients’ quality of life as well as the quality of nursing care. Special attention must be given to the in-service educational program to enhance the competency level of nursing staff. Developing evidence-based guidelines is a great opportunity to reach optimal healthcare services.
Keywords: Knowledge, Attitudes, Oncology, Nursing, Cancer, Pain Management, Iraq.
Citation: Kadhim JJ, Tauma RJ, Shraida AA, Al-Fatlawi AM. Oncology nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards
cancer pain management: a cross-sectional analytic study at Oncology Hospital, Iraq. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2025;29(9):1224-1233. DOI: 10.35975/apic.v29i9.3043
Received: August 22, 2025; Revised: September 18, 2025; Accepted: September 20, 2025