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Clinically meaningful reduction in pain severity in children treated by paramedics: a retrospective cohort study
Paul A Jennings1, Bill Lord2, Karen Smith3
1Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice, Monash University, Caulfield East, Victoria, Australia; Ambulance Victoria, Doncaster, Victoria, Australia; Emergency & Trauma Centre, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Effective pediatric pain management in emergencies depends on more than just medication. Factors like patient age and pain type significantly influence pain reduction in children.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Pediatric Care
- Pain Management
Background:
- Pediatric pain is a frequent prehospital emergency.
- Limited data exists on effective pain management for children.
- This study identifies factors influencing pain reduction in pediatric patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine factors associated with clinically meaningful pain reduction in children.
- To analyze predictors of effective prehospital pain relief for pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of electronic patient care records (2008-2011).
- Included children (<15 years) presenting with pain.
- Multivariate regression assessed predictors of pain reduction (≥2 points on an 11-point scale).
Main Results:
- 15,016 children met inclusion criteria.
- Older children (>9 years) were less likely to experience pain reduction.
- Boys and patients with musculoskeletal pain were more likely to achieve significant pain relief.
Conclusions:
- Factors beyond analgesia impact prehospital pain relief in children.
- Clinical care and research should consider patient and management factors.
- Stratifying patients is crucial for service improvement in pediatric pain management.
Introduction:
Pediatric pain is a common presenting symptom in the prehospital setting; however, there is a lack of data identifying factors associated with effective pain management in this population. We sought to identify the factors associated with clinically meaningful pain reduction in children.
Methods:
An analysis of electronic patient care records of all patients younger than 15 years presenting with pain to the emergency medical service of Victoria, Australia, over a 4-year period (2008-2011). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression to assess predictors of clinically meaningful pain reduction. Clinically meaningful pain reduction was defined as a reduction of 2 or more points on an 11-point scale.
Results:
A total of 92378 children were transported, of whom 15016 (16.3%) met the inclusion criteria. The median age was 11 (interquartile range, 9-13) years, and 59.2% were male. Patients older than 9 years were less likely (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.4-0.6) and boys were more likely (adjusted odds ratio, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0-1.3) to have a clinically meaningful reduction in pain. Patients with pain classified as musculoskeletal were more likely to achieve a reduction in pain score of 2 or more when compared with pain due to other medical causes (AOR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.5-1.9).
Conclusions:
Factors other than the type of analgesia are important determinants of prehospital pain relief and are likely to impact on clinical care and research. Clinical audit and research projects should stratify patients according to patient as well as management factors to maximize service improvement.
