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Updated: Dec 30, 2025
An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain PPOP
Published on: January 27, 2010
Effects of Nonpharmacologic Distraction Methods on Children's Postoperative Pain-A Nonmatched Case-Control Study
Susanne Winther Olsen1, Charlotte Rosenkilde1, Jørgen Lauridsen2
1Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.
Insights
Nonpharmacologic distraction effectively reduces children's postoperative pain when used alongside standard care. Parental pain assessment is a reliable method for children under five years old.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Anesthesiology
- Pain Management
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Postoperative pain in children requires effective management strategies.
- Nonpharmacologic interventions are increasingly explored as adjuncts to conventional pain relief.
- Accurate pain assessment in pediatric patients is crucial for timely and appropriate treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of nonpharmacologic distraction in reducing pediatric postoperative pain in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU).
- To determine if parental pain assessment can serve as a reliable proxy for children's self-reported pain.
- To compare pain assessments between children and their parents across different intervention groups.
Main Methods:
- A nonmatched case-control study involving 241 children aged 2 to 7 years.
- Children were assigned to one of five intervention groups or a control group.
- Pain was assessed using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale by both children and parents at multiple time points in the PACU.
Main Results:
- Interventions involving nonpharmacologic distraction demonstrated positive effects on both children's and parental pain assessments.
- A significant positive correlation was observed between children's and parental pain assessments in children older than 3 years (P < .001).
Conclusions:
- Nonpharmacologic distraction is recommended as an effective supplement to conventional postoperative pain management.
- Parental assessment is a reliable proxy for evaluating postoperative pain in children younger than 5 years.
Purpose:
To investigate whether nonpharmacologic distraction as a supplement to conventional pain management can reduce children's assessment of pain in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), and if parental assessment is a reliable proxy in assessing children's postoperative pain.
Design:
A nonmatched case-control study.
Methods:
The sample included 241 children aged 2 to 7 years assigned to one of five intervention groups or a control group. Children's and parents' assessments of pain were registered on arrival to PACU and repeated after 15, 30, and 45 minutes using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale.
Findings:
Positive effects of interventions were found in both children's and parental assessments. Results indicate a positive correlation between children's and parental assessments in children older than 3 years (P < .001).
Conclusions:
Nonpharmacologic distraction is recommended as a supplement to conventional postoperative pain management. Parental assessment is a reliable proxy in assessing postoperative pain in children younger than 5 years.
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