Confounding factors in infant pain assessment during recovery from anesthesia.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate in what ways infant pain assessments differed between outpatient surgical recovery areas (OPSRA) and other clinical settings that included inpatient postsurgical recovery areas.


METHODS
Using a qualitative descriptive design, 8 nurse participants working in OPSRA and 7 nurse participants working in other clinical settings were interviewed.


RESULTS
The assessments of participants in the OPSRA differed from those of other participants and were confounded by effects of a short-acting anesthetic, lower expectations of pain, and several extraneous factors.


CONCLUSIONS
Recognizing infant pain in OPSRA is complex. Nurses working in OPSRA may need to assume leadership to address issues relating to accurate identification of infant pain and alleviating extraneous factors that may influence adequate treatment of pain.
Neu
Madalynn
M
University of Colorado School of Nursing, Denver, CO, USA. madalynn.neu@uchsc.edu
Fuller
Barbara F
BF
D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000451:nursing; D000762:Anesthesia Recovery Period; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000592:standards; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000592:standards*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000592:standards*; D016528:Postanesthesia Nursing / Q000592:standards; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires