Postoperative Pain Management in Children of Hispanic Origin: A Descriptive Cohort Study.
BACKGROUND
It has been established that pain is frequently undertreated in children following outpatient surgery. Very few studies, however, have investigated this phenomenon in ethnically diverse populations.


METHODS
This study included 105 families of children aged 2 to 15 years of Hispanic origin and low income undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy surgery. Participating parents completed baseline and demographic packets. Recorded postoperative pain ratings and administration of analgesics at home for 1 week were collected during home visits.


RESULTS
Despite the high (70%; 99% confidence interval [CI], 57%-82%) incidence of significant pain in the first 24 hours home, 32% (95% CI, 20%-45%) of the children received 0 to 1 dose of analgesia. Overall, 21% children (99% CI, 11%-35%) received 4 or less total doses of pain medication over the entire week after surgery. Of the total analgesic doses administered to children in the week after surgery, only 44% (99% CI, 40%-47%) were in accepted ranges.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite experiencing significant postoperative pain, Hispanic children assessed in this study received suboptimal analgesic therapy at home.
From the *Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, California; †Department of Pediatric Psychology, CHOC Children's Hospital, Orange, California; ‡Department of Pediatrics, CHOC Children's Hospital Orange and University of California, Irvine, California; and §Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
Rebecca
R
Brown
Michelle A
MA
Fortier
Sheeva
S
Zolghadr
Padma
P
Gulur
Brooke N
BN
Jenkins
Zeev N
ZN
Kain
D000069:Acculturation; D000233:Adenoidectomy; D000293:Adolescent; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D014068:Tonsillectomy
D000700:Analgesics