Factors influencing the expectation of pain among patients in a children's burns unit.
The study was undertaken to identify factors increasing anxiety, fear and anticipation of pain among patients in a children's Burns Unit and to establish means of modifying such factors in order to reduce the children's experience of pain during nursing and treatment sessions. Sixty patients were observed and, where possible, interviewed at periods throughout their stay in the unit. The results indicated that expectation of pain might be reduced by correcting the child's erroneous beliefs about the nature of the healing process and the role of clinical therapy, and by undertaking certain changes in the manner in which treatment and nursing procedures upon the conscious patient were normally conducted.
D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety; D002053:Burn Units; D002056:Burns / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*