The management of acute pain in children

A Twycross1

  • 1School of Nursing, Postgraduate Division, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre.

Professional Nurse (London, England)
|January 5, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nursing
  • Pain Management

Background:

  • Children's ability to verbally express pain intensity is often limited.
  • Accurate pain assessment in pediatric patients is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review available pain assessment tools for nurses caring for children.
  • To provide guidance on selecting appropriate pediatric pain assessment methods.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of pediatric pain assessment tools.
  • Discussion of the application of these tools in clinical nursing practice.

Main Results:

  • Several validated pain assessment tools exist for pediatric populations.
  • Tool selection depends on the child's age, developmental stage, and cognitive ability.

Conclusions:

  • Nurses require diverse tools to accurately assess pain in children.
  • Utilizing appropriate assessment tools improves pain management outcomes in pediatric care.

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