Surgical nurses’ perceptions of administering opioid drugs: A descriptive and cross-sectional study

Objective: This descriptive and cross-sectional study investigated how surgical nurses perceived opioid administration. Material and methods: The sample consisted of 108 nurses from the surgical units of a state hospital in the north of Turkey. Data were collected using a nurse introduction form and the nurses’ perception of administering opioids questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive statistical methods and Spearman’s correlation test. Results: More than half of the participants (51.9%) reported frequently administering opioid drugs. Some of the participants (15.7%) stated that they observed their patients having side effects following opioid drug administration. The three most common side effects were hypotension (46.6%), nausea (30.0%) and vomiting (11.6%). Most participants (87.9%) noted that they should know more about opioid drugs than other drug groups in order to administer them safely. There was a weak negative correlation between participants’ knowledge of side effects when administering opioid drugs and their age, work experience in general, and work experience in the unit (p < 0.05). Conclusion: It has been determined that surgical nurses need training in the administering of opioid group drugs. Hospitals should provide surgical nurses with in-service training in opioid administration.