Validity and Reliability of the Thai KASRP

Pain is a very common symptom. Pain was found to be a major cause for visiting a doctor. It accounted for 40% of the primary care visits. Pain is also the leading cause of Emergency Department visits. Physicians have a significant role for assessment and management of various kinds of pain. Knowledge and attitude of doctors (as well as other health care providers) affect their pain management. A survey study using The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) questionnaire performed in Malaysia revealed that 41.7% of respondents had scores less than 60% regarding pain knowledge. It also revealed that male medical officers had better performance than female medical officers. Anesthesiologist showed the highest mean score. Authors of this study concluded that there is a lack of knowledge and attitude on assessment and management of pain. A similar survey study was performed in Jordan to evaluate health care providers' knowledge and attitudes by using the KASRP. Even doctors had more pain knowledge in comparison to nurses, both of them demonstrated a low level of knowledge and negative attitudes in terms of pain management. A survey study from Iran showed that less than half of health care providers who volunteered to complete a study questionnaire had correct response. Only 9.3% of them thought that they had received sufficient teaching regarding pain and its management.