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An educational intervention to improve pain assessment in preverbal children
Insights
Pediatric nurses received education on pain assessment tools for children under 36 months. This improved pain documentation and the use of appropriate pediatric pain assessment scales.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Pain Management
- Clinical Practice Improvement
Background:
- Pediatric nurses frequently use inadequate tools for pain assessment in children under 36 months.
- Effective pain assessment in preverbal children is crucial for appropriate care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance nursing practice regarding pain assessment in preverbal children (under 36 months).
- To evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on pain assessment practices.
Main Methods:
- A pre- and post-intervention study design was employed.
- Data collection included retrospective chart reviews and surveys of pediatric nurses.
- Statistical tests analyzed differences in pain assessment frequency and tool utilization.
Main Results:
- Post-intervention, pain assessment frequency and documentation significantly increased.
- Nurses reported a significant increase in the use of a validated pain assessment tool.
- The FLACC (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability) scale was the most commonly used tool.
Conclusions:
- Staff nurse education on appropriate pain assessment scales effectively changed practice.
- The intervention led to improved frequency of pain assessment in preverbal children.
Problem:
Pediatric nurses often use an inappropriate tool to assess pain in children younger than 36 months of age.
Objective:
This intervention intended to improve the nursing practice of assessing pain in preverbal (less than 36 months of age) children.
Methods:
Pain assessment frequency and use of a pain assessment pediatric tool use was evaluated pre- and post-intervention via a retrospective chart review and a survey of pediatric nurses. Parametric and non-parametric statistical tests were used to determine significant differences between pre- and post-intervention data for both approaches.
Results:
The chart review data showed a significant increase in the number of times pain was assessed and documented post-educational intervention. Similarly, the survey data analysis showed a significant post-intervention increase in the use of a pain assessment tool and that most nurses used the FLACC pain assessment tool when assessing pain in preverbal children.
Conclusion:
Educating staff nurses about the use of an appropriate pain assessment scale altered practice and improved the frequency of pain assessment of preverbal children.
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