The pain experience of adolescents after acute blunt traumatic injury

Because little is known about adolescent pain, in particular pain after blunt traumatic injury, a descriptive exploratory approach was used to examine the pain experience of adolescents after acute blunt traumatic injury in three contexts: at the scene of the accident, in the emergency department, and in the hospital setting. For the 13 adolescents (11-17 years) who experienced multiple sites of blunt unintentional injury, the majority recalled their worst pain at the scene and in the emergency department, with high, intense pain persisting into the hospital setting. Regardless of the context, adolescents recalled multiple aspects of their pain experience. Study findings have implications for the understanding and management of adolescent pain resulting from blunt traumatic injury.