[Evaluation of the effectiveness of patient-controlled analgesia in children with sickle cell anemia from the perspective of healthcare professionals and parents].
OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the efficacy of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) used by children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) based on the attitudes of parents and healthcare professionals.


METHODS
A total of 86 individuals were involved in the study: 54 parents of children with SCA who were receiving treatment and 32 healthcare providers (doctors, nurses). To evaluate the effectiveness of the PCA method, a questionnaire was prepared to determine the level of knowledge of the participants about the PCA method and their perception of its advantages and disadvantages.


RESULTS
According to 65.6% (n=21) of the healthcare providers, PCA should be used during acute phase of pain. The great majority of the participants (93%; n=80) thought that pain was effectively controlled both during the day and at night. PCA reduced the fear of unavailability of analgesic drugs in 83.3% (n=45) of parents and in 87.5% (n=28) of healthcare providers. More parents (37%) reported a reduction in the fear of return of pain than healthcare providers (9.4%) (p<0.05). Most parents (87%; n=47) reported that they preferred to wait until their child complained of severe pain to use on-demand doses of analgesic due to concerns about overdose and addiction. Resolving machine alarms (48%; n=26) and the length of time required to refill the machine (48%; n=26) were reported as disadvantages of PCA method.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, parents and healthcare professionals found PCA to be effective in relieving pain in children with SCA; however, fears and biased knowledge of users about the analgesic drug are thought to inhibit reaching sufficient dosage. Educational courses for users about PCA and the drugs used may increase the effectiveness of PCA method.
Department of Anesthesia, Nizip State Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Ayşegül
A
Turaç
Department of Algology, Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey. sebnematici@hotmail.com.
Şebnem
Ş
Rumeli Atıcı
D000328:Adult; D016058:Analgesia, Patient-Controlled; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000451:nursing; D010290:Parents; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires