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Updated: Aug 30, 2026
An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain (PPOP)
Published on: January 27, 2010
The parents' postoperative pain measure: replication and extension to 2-6-year-old children
Christine T Chambers1, Allen G Finley, Patrick J McGrath
1Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Centre for Community Child Health Research, 4480 Oak Street, L408, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4, Canada Department of Anaesthesia, Dalhousie University and IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University and IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University and IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University and IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Insights
The Parents' Postoperative Pain Measure (PPPM) reliably assesses pain in children aged 2-12 years post-surgery. This validated tool aids parents in accurately measuring their child's pain at home.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Pain Management
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Home-based pain assessment after pediatric surgery is challenging for parents.
- Accurate pain measurement is crucial for effective postoperative care in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To confirm the psychometric properties of the Parents' Postoperative Pain Measure (PPPM).
- To evaluate the PPPM's reliability and validity for children aged 2-12 years undergoing day surgery.
Main Methods:
- Parents of 51 children (7-12 years) and 107 children (2-6 years) completed pain diaries for 2 days post-surgery.
- The diaries included global pain ratings and the 15-item PPPM; older children self-reported pain intensity.
Main Results:
- The PPPM demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha=0.81-0.88) for both age groups.
- PPPM scores strongly correlated with children's/parents' global pain ratings (r=0.53-0.72).
- The PPPM successfully differentiated between low/moderate and high pain surgery groups.
Conclusions:
- The PPPM is a reliable and valid measure for assessing postoperative pain in children aged 2-12 years.
- This tool can assist parents in managing their child's pain effectively after day surgery.
Abstract:
Pain assessment is a difficult task for parents at home following children's surgery. The purpose of the present study was to confirm the psychometric properties of a behavioural measure of postoperative pain developed to assist parents with pain assessment in children aged 7-12 years following day surgery. The study also examined the reliability and validity of the measure with children aged 2-6 years. Participants were 51 parents of children aged 7-12 years and 107 parents of children aged 2-6 years. For the 2 days following surgery, parents completed a pain diary that included global ratings of their children's pain and the 15-item Parents' Postoperative Pain Measure (PPPM). The older children provided self-reports of their pain intensity. The PPPM items showed good internal consistency on the two postoperative days for both samples (alpha's=0.81-0.88) and scores on the PPPM were highly correlated with children's (for the older children) and parents' (for the young children) global ratings of pain (r's=0.53-0.72). As global pain ratings decreased from Days 1 to 2, so did scores on the PPPM. Scores on the PPPM were successful in discriminating between children who had undergone low/moderate and high pain surgeries. The results of this study provide evidence of the reliability and validity of the PPPM as a measure of postoperative pain among children aged 2 through to 12 years.