Abstract:
Background: Pain prevalence in pediatric hospitals has been investigated in many developed countries, but little is known about this topic in China.
Aims: This study sought to describe the frequency and pain intensity of procedures for medical care in hospitalized children in a Chinese children’s hospital.
Design: A cross-sectional study was designed to include interviews with children, their parents and the nurses.
Settings: This survey was administered in a teaching hospital in southeast China.
Participants/subjects: Infants and children up to 16 years old who were admitted to the study units for more than 6 days were eligible for inclusion.
Methods: Information regarding patient demographics, painful procedures and pain management strategies was obtained during the day shifts of the children’s hospitalization.
Results: A total of 3886 procedures were performed on 342 children during the data collection period. The reuse of intravenous indwelling needles ( n = 577), removal of tape from the skin (n = 420) and venipuncture on the back of the hand ( n = 401) were the most frequently performed procedures on children. A total of 1941 procedures, accounting for 49.9% (1941/3886) of painful procedures caused moderate to severe pain (pain score ≥4.0). However, only 25.3% (984/3886) received a valid pain assessment, and only 14.4% (560/3886) received pain interventions.
Conclusions: Most children, especially those who are younger (<4 years old), experienced moderate or severe pain during their hospitalization, but did not receive appropriate interventions.
Reference:
Chen Y, Min C, Wang Q, Zhou J, Xie A, Shen L, Chen M, Li X. Procedural Pain in Hospitalized Children in a Chinese Children’s Hospital. Pain Manag Nurs. 2020 Dec 28:S1524-9042(20)30231-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2020.11.009. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33384240.