Spanish Version of the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain

Abstract

A variety of valid tools are available to assess staff knowledge and attitudes regarding pain, among which is the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain. Although this instrument has been widely and successfully used, a valid and adapted Spanish version is yet to be developed. The purpose of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain. After translating and back-translating this tool, we conducted a cross-cultural adaptation and construct validation with 102 participants, including nursing professionals (in palliative care, oncology, and intensive care) from five health centers and final-year nursing students. All participants were recruited in the Principality of Asturias, Spain. We also evaluated the internal consistency and test-retest correlations. Cronbach's α was .781, and Pearson's r and the intraclass correlation coefficient between the test and retest scores were .881 and .883, respectively. The mean questionnaire scores in the test and retest phases were 65.8% and 67.6%, respectively. Palliative care nurses had the highest score, 70.8%, which differed significantly from the rest of the groups. The Spanish version of the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain can effectively differentiate nursing staff in terms of their pain expertise. The results indicate that Spanish nurses have a gap in pharmacologic knowledge that is comparable to that found in other countries, but their foundation in general pain concepts was solid.