ArticleBMC medical education2026
Assessment of pain neurophysiology knowledge among healthcare students in Bayero University Kano, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundPain Neurophysiology Knowledge (PNK) refers to the understanding of the biological and physiological mechanisms underlying the experience of pain. For healthcare students, a solid grasp of pain neurophysiology is essential for the effective future management of patients experiencing pain, particularly chronic pain. The aim of this study was to assess the level of PNK among healthcare undergraduate students studying Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Optometry, and Physiotherapy at Bayero University Kano (BUK), Nigeria.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using the Revised Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (RNPQ) to evaluate PNK among healthcare students at BUK. Whole population sampling was employed to recruit registered healthcare students across the various disciplines at BUK. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and means) were used to characterize the sample. Differences in scores between the study disciplines and levels of study were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and independent t-tests (IBM SPSS version 23). One-way ANOVA was used to compare mean scores across multiple disciplines and clinical levels where more than two groups were present. Where comparisons involved only two groups, independent samples t-tests were applied. Significance level was set at p < 0.05.
resultsA total of 500 students from the Physiotherapy, Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, and Optometry programs participated. The majority of participants (66.2%) were aged 21-25 years, and 57.2% were male. Medical students represented the largest group (27.0%), and second-year clinical students across disciplines comprised 38% of the sample. The mean PNK score across participants from all disciplines was 6.31, indicating moderate knowledge. Statistically significant differences in PNK across clinical years were observed within the Medicine and Nursing programs (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION / IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare students at BUK demonstrated average knowledge of pain neurophysiology. This finding suggests a gap in PNK within the study population, which warrants further investigation to better understand the underlying factors contributing to the moderate knowledge levels observed. Future research should explore potential influences such as curricular content, teaching strategies, clinical exposure, and interprofessional education experiences, as well as institutional and contextual factors that may shape students' understanding of pain neurophysiology.
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