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Evaluation of pain in the paediatric patient admitted to sub-intensive care: a scoping review protocol
Carlotta Granata1, Massimo Guasconi2, Federica Ambrosi3
1"Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale" (Local Health Service) di Piacenza, Piacenza, Italy;. c.granata@ausl.pc.it.
Insights
Accurate pediatric pain assessment is crucial. This scoping review identifies evidence for pain scales in sub-intensive care units (Sub-PICU, Sub-NICU) where validated tools are unclear.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Pain management
- Evidence-based practice
Background:
- Pain is the 5th vital sign, necessitating validated assessment tools for healthcare professionals.
- Established pain scales like FLACC, Wong-Baker, and NRS are used in low-intensity areas, while COMFORT-B and BPS are for high-intensity, sedated pediatric patients.
- The optimal pain assessment scale for sub-intensive pediatric areas (Sub-PICU, Sub-NICU) remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a literature search to identify available evidence on pain assessment in pediatric sub-intensive clinical areas.
- To map the existing literature regarding pain assessment tools in Sub-PICU and Sub-NICU settings.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search will be performed across multiple databases including PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Open Dissertations, and DOAJ.
- Additional sources like Cochrane CENTRAL and ClinicalTrials.gov will be included.
- The scoping review will adhere to Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and present results using a PRISMA flowchart.
Main Results:
- This section is to be filled after the review is completed.
Conclusions:
- This section is to be filled after the review is completed.
Background And Aim:
pain is considered as the 5th vital sign thus it's paramount that healthcare professionals are equipped with validated tools for his correct assessment. There are different paediatric pain assessment scales that take into account patients' age. Actually, the "Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability" (FLACC), Wong-Baker and NRS scales are regarded as the gold standard in low intensity clinical areas, while the COMFORT-Behavior (COMFORT-B) and Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) ones are used for high intensity clinical areas where paediatric patients are sedated/intubated. It's unclear which pain assessment scale should be used in sub-intensive areas such as Sub-Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (Sub-PICU) e Sub-Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Sub-NICU). The aim of this protocol is to map the literature in order to identify what evidences are available regarding the assessment of pain in the paediatric sub-intensive clinical areas.
Research Question:
"What is the literature available on pain assessment in paediatric patients in sub-intensive clinical areas such as Sub-PICU and sub-NICU?".
Source Of Evidence:
literature search will be performed through the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Open Dissertations (EBSCO) and DOAJ. Furthermore, Cochrane CENTRAL and ClinicalTrials.gov will also be included.
Methods:
this scoping review will be conducted in accordance to the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and the results presented through a PRISMA flowchart.
Review Registration:
Open Science Framework https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/8KBRQ.
