[The opinion of pediatricians on childhood pain]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the current sensibility and knowledge of pediatricians regarding the issue of pediatric pain assessment and management.

In October 1996 we conducted a mail survey of all 686 members of the Asturias, Cantabria and Castilla y León Pediatric Society. Physicians were asked to complete and return a confidential 95-item questionnaire.

One hundred fifty-seven (23%) of eligible physicians responded. Ninety percent of the respondents agreed they had insufficient training in pain management. Sixty-nine percent though their knowledge to deal with acute pain was adequate. Only 12% admitted to having enough background to treat chronic pain. Sixty-five percent of the respondents admitted to know no method at all for pain evaluation, while 82% had never applied any in their clinical practice. About half the respondents (42%) did not know any guidelines for the management of pediatric pain, although 75% considered they would be very useful. A high percentage of pediatricians answered that analgesia was required before performing certain diagnostic or therapeutic procedures (lumbar puncture, venous canalization, arterial puncture and others), but differences in relation to age, sex and clinical setting of the physicians were detected in these responses. The most used drug for the treatment of moderate acute pain is acetaminophen (88%), for severe acute pain metamizol (58%) and for severe chronic pain acetaminophen-codeine (37%). Only 48% admitted to having used opioids.

Pediatricians in this society seem to be too confident about the topic of acute pain management in their patients, even though they report a lack of training which could influence the quality of the care they are offering to their patients. Opioid use is very low. Training in childhood pain management is needed.