Sammanfattning
Background: Patients treated with invasive mechanical ventilation are sedated and provided
pain relief to tolerate treatment. Previous research shows that patients are routinely exposed to
unpleasant and painful procedures. It is the task of the intensive care nurses to assess the patient´s
pain.
Objective: To investigate intensive care nurses’ descriptions of pain assessment in adults receiving
mechanical ventilation.
Method: Descriptive qualitative design with focus group interviews. Intensive care nurses were
interviewed in three focus groups, and the data was analysed using inductive content analysis.
Results: The overall theme shows that pain assessment of ventilated patients is challenging and
complex. The analysis resulted in three main categories: Theoretical and experience-based
knowledge in assessment of pain, focus on pain assessment
in daily practice, and quality assurance for pain assessment.
Conclusion: Assessment of pain in adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation is based on the
intensive care nurse’s theoretical and experience-based knowledge. The discussions around
experiences of former patients, and pain assessment tools show variable research-based
knowledge. Intensive care nurses´ attitudes, focus, and priorities in a busy schedule can affect the
use of clinical skills and judgment. Increased awareness on pain assessment and moral
responsibility in the intensive care unit can contribute to the development of clinical competence in
intensive care nursing.