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Validating the Derbyshire Children's Hospital Pain Tool in children aged 6-12 years
Vanessa Peden1, Imti Choonara, Mair Vater
1Academic Division of Child Health, University of Nottingham, Derbyshire Children's Hospital, Derby DE22 3NE, UK. vanessa.peden@nottingham.ac.uk
Insights
The Derbyshire Children's Hospital Paediatric Pain Chart (DPC) demonstrates good reliability and validity for assessing pain in children aged 6-12 years. This pain assessment tool is effective for children undergoing surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Anesthesiology
- Pain Management Research
- Clinical Nursing Tools
Background:
- The Derbyshire Children's Hospital Paediatric Pain Chart (DPC) is utilized for pain assessment in pediatric surgical patients.
- The DPC was initially developed for post-operative pain evaluation in children.
- It is designed for broad applicability across various age groups in pediatric surgery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability and validity of the DPC pain assessment tool.
- To determine the DPC's effectiveness in children aged 6-12 years undergoing surgery.
Main Methods:
- An exploratory study involving 60 children aged 6-12 years undergoing minor and intermediate surgery.
- The DPC was compared against the validated Oucher Scale for pain assessment.
- Assessments were conducted preoperatively and for four hours post-operatively, with analgesia effects recorded.
Main Results:
- The study provides support for the construct validity of the DPC.
- Evidence suggests good inter-rater reliability for the DPC in the target age group.
- The DPC effectively assesses pain in pediatric surgical patients aged 6-12 years.
Conclusions:
- The Derbyshire Children's Hospital Paediatric Pain Chart (DPC) is a reliable and valid tool for pediatric pain assessment.
- The DPC is suitable for use in children aged 6-12 years undergoing minor and intermediate surgery.
- This study validates the DPC for clinical use in pediatric pain management.
Abstract:
The Derbyshire Children's Hospital Paediatric Pain Chart (DPC) is the current pain assessment tool used at the Derbyshire Children's Hospital. It was originally devised as a simple pain tool for use in the post-operative clinical area. It is applicable across the spectrum of age groups that present for paediatric surgery. The DPC assesses pain by utilizing three parameters: facial expression, verbal (i.e. self-report) and body movement. This exploratory study was undertaken to determine its reliability and validity in children aged 6-12 years. The research nurse assessed 60 children aged 6-12 years undergoing minor and intermediate surgery and compared the DPC against the validated Oucher Scale. Assessments were performed preoperatively and for four hours post-operatively. Any analgesia administered post-operatively was recorded, and its effects noted. This study supports construct validity and inter-rater reliability of the DPC pain assessment tool for children aged 6-12 undergoing minor and intermediate surgery.