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Reducing pediatric burn pain with parent participation
Insights
Parent participation in pediatric burn care significantly reduces children's pain during procedures. This program enhances family coping and understanding, improving long-term treatment adherence.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric burn care
- Child psychology
- Family-centered care
Background:
- Implementing parent participation programs in pediatric burn units requires careful consideration of the multidisciplinary team's role.
- Effective education and support for the healthcare team are crucial for program success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe and evaluate the development and implementation of a parent participation program in a pediatric burn unit.
- To assess the impact of parental involvement on children's pain experience and family coping strategies.
Main Methods:
- Established unit-specific minimum standards for burn care to guide parent participation.
- Provided education sessions for staff, including problem-solving role-play.
- Modified admission procedures to maintain family unit and assess parental support capacity.
Main Results:
- Parental participation significantly reduced children's pain during invasive procedures.
- The program improved parents' coping strategies and understanding of the healing process.
- Increased parental involvement led to better understanding of rehabilitation needs, potentially improving long-term compliance.
Conclusions:
- Parental participation is a key factor in reducing pain and enhancing family relationships during pediatric burn hospitalization.
- Adequate staff education and preparation minimize challenges associated with increased parental involvement.
- Further objective evaluation is needed to confirm the role of parent participation in pain reduction for pediatric burn patients.
Abstract:
We describe and evaluate the development and implementation of a parent participation program in the burn unit at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario. The effect of parent participation on the multidisciplinary team member's role had to be taken into consideration, and effective, consistent education of the support for the multidisciplinary team had to be provided to ensure the success of the program. Unit-specific minimum standards of burn care were established as guides to support team members when they established the ground rules for the parents' participation. Education sessions were also held for staff to role-play problem-solving techniques. Including parents in the difficult daily treatments required changes in our admission procedures to maintain the family unit and to assess the parents' ability to provide emotional support for their child during the procedure. Early results of the program suggested that parental participation plays a major role in reducing a child's experience of pain during invasive procedures while allowing the family relationship to continue throughout all aspects of the hospitalization. The program also improved parents' coping strategies. The parents had a better understanding of the healing process and the need for specific measures, such as the use of compression garments, during the rehabilitation phase. This understanding may improve long-term compliance with treatment. Perceived difficulties with increased parental involvement were minimized through adequate education and preparation of the staff. Continued work is required, however, to objectively evaluate parent participation and its role in effectively reducing pain in the pediatric burn population.