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A qualitative analysis of how parents assess acute pain in young children
Candice Loopstra1, Esben Strodl1, David Herd2
1Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Insights
Accurate pain assessment in young children is vital for effective pain management. Parental ability to regulate emotions while seeing their child in pain is key to assessing their child
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Pain Management
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Effective pain management in pre- and early verbal children requires accurate pain assessment.
- Painful medical procedures, such as IV cannulation and NG tube insertion, necessitate careful pain evaluation in young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the processes of parental pain assessment in young children.
- To develop a new model for Parental Assessment of Acute Child Pain (PAACP).
Main Methods:
- An inductive approach was used to study parental pain assessment.
- The study involved 19 parents of children under 3 years undergoing or anticipating painful procedures.
Main Results:
- Parental affect regulation emerged as a critical factor in assessing a child's acute pain.
- The study identified key processes involved in how parents assess their child's pain.
Conclusions:
- Parental emotional response significantly influences their ability to accurately assess pediatric pain.
- A new model of Parental Assessment of Acute Child Pain (PAACP) was developed, highlighting the importance of parental affect regulation.
Abstract:
An accurate and comprehensive pain assessment is crucial for adequate pain management in pre- and early verbal children during painful medical procedures. This study used an inductive approach to explore the processes involved in parental pain assessment and to develop a new model of Parental Assessment of Acute Child Pain. Participants were 19 parents of children aged under 3 years who had previously or were potentially about to experience an intravenous cannula or nasogastric tube insertion. Parental affect regulation, while witnessing their child in acute pain/distress, appeared to be critical to the processes involved in assessing their child's pain.
