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Published on: July 4, 2018
Evaluation of pain and accuracy diagnostic in hospitalized children
Caroline Maier Predebon1, Diná de Almeida Lopes Monteiro da Cruz, Fabiana Gonçalves de Oliveira Azevedo Matos
1Pediatric Unit at Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Insights
Implementing a systematic pain assessment in hospitalized children increased acute pain diagnoses but did not improve overall diagnostic accuracy. Further strategies are needed to enhance accuracy in pediatric pain management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare
- Nursing diagnosis
- Pain management
Background:
- Acute pain affects over 50% of hospitalized children.
- The accuracy of acute pain diagnosis and the impact of training are understudied.
- Effective pain assessment is crucial for pediatric patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the accuracy of acute pain diagnoses following the implementation of a systematic pain evaluation.
- To assess the impact of a new pain assessment intervention on diagnostic accuracy in hospitalized children.
Main Methods:
- A pre- and post-intervention study design was employed.
- The Nursing Diagnosis Accuracy Scale was used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy (null, low, moderate, high).
Main Results:
- Acute pain diagnoses were more frequent after the intervention.
- Diagnostic accuracy for acute pain improved only in the moderate category.
- Overall diagnostic accuracy did not significantly increase despite increased diagnosis frequency.
Conclusions:
- Increased diagnosis of acute pain in the post-intervention period did not correlate with improved accuracy.
- There is a need to develop targeted strategies to enhance the accuracy of acute pain diagnosis in hospitalized children.
- Further research is warranted to improve pediatric pain assessment and management protocols.
Purpose:
Acute pain occurs in over 50% of hospitalized children. The accuracy of this diagnosis has been underexplored in the literature, as has the role of training to implement pain assessment. This study analyzed the accuracy of acute pain diagnoses after the implementation of a systematic evaluation of pain (study intervention).
Method:
The sample was divided into: pre- and postintervention. The Nursing Diagnosis Accuracy Scale, which scores accuracy as null, low, moderate, or high, was used.
Results:
In the postimplementation, acute pain was diagnosed more often. However, accuracy only improved in the moderate category.
Conclusion:
Diagnosis of acute pain increased in the postimplementation period, but accuracy did not.
Implications:
The development of strategies for improvement of diagnostic accuracy is warranted.
