Parental assessment and management of children's postoperative pain: a randomized clinical trial.
As day case surgery increases, one needs to improve the management of pain in children at home. This study wished to determine whether the use of a self-report pain scale would result in children receiving more analgesia. Eighty-eight children aged four to 12 years undergoing tonsillectomy, whose parents agreed they could participate, were randomly assigned into two groups. Group A received the routine postoperative advice and a three-day prescription of paracetamol, ibuprofen and codeine. In addition, group B used the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale. Seventy-two children completed the study. There was no difference in the total number of analgesics administered to children in the two groups (p = 0.26, Mann- Whitney U-test). It appears that a self-report pain scale does not improve the postoperative management of pain in children at home.
Unsworth
Vanessa
V
Academic Division of Child Health, University of Nottingham, Derby, UK.
Franck
Linda S
LS
Choonara
Imti
I
D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology; D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004282:Documentation; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000009:adverse effects
D000700:Analgesics