New Zealand Pain Management Nursing Knowledge and Skills Framework For Registered Nurses

Pain is one of the most common reasons people seek health care treatment, however pain is frequently under treated, potentially having adverse effects on physiological and psychological wellbeing. This can cause social, spiritual and emotional consequences leading to suffering of patients and family. Registered Nurses are largest group of health care professionals working across many practice settings, therefore are key providers of health care and regularly come into contact with people experiencing pain. It is essential that nurses’ pain management knowledge and skills are of a standard to ensure the best possible outcomes for people with pain and their family/whānau. The first edition of the New Zealand Pain Management Nursing Knowledge and Skills Framework (NZPMNKSF) was accepted for endorsement by the New Zealand National Nurses Consortium in 2013. Sue King, then Nurse Practitioner at Waikato Hospital was responsible for leading the development of the framework. The review team acknowledges the use of the National Diabetes Nursing Knowledge and Skills Framework (2017) and the Royal College of Nursing (London) Pain Knowledge and Skills Framework (2015) to further inform this review. A process of national consultation has taken place with professional nursing groups such as New Zealand Nurses Organisation including the College of Maori Nurses, Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa NZNO, Te Ao Māramatanga NZ College of Mental Health Nurses, Nurse Executives New Zealand (NENZ), Nurse Educators in Tertiary Sector (NETS), New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses, NZ Private Surgical Hospitals Association (NZPSHA), Mental Health and Addiction Services MOH and MidCentral Health professionals for Elder health. Public agencies such as the Cancer Society, Endometriosis NZ, Aged Concern, and Arthritis NZ were also invited to submit comment.

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Erica Gleeson
Clinical Nurse Specialist MidCentral Health