title: Prevalence of pain in the departments of surgery and oncohematology of a paediatric hospital that has joined the project "Towards pain free hospital".
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Among hospitalized adults and children pain is undertreated. This study wants to assess the effectiveness of pain therapy in two departments of a large children's hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a single day work three committees, administering a questionnaire to patients or parents, have evaluated the adherence to international recommendations (JCI and WHO) in the management of analgesic therapy. Patient demographics, prevalence and intensity (moderate and/or severe) of pain (during hospitalization, 24 hours before and at the time of the interview), analgesia (type, route, duration and frequency of administration) and Pain Management Index (=analgesic score-pain score) were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  75 patients participated in the study (age: 2 months up to 24 years, mean 7.8 ± 6). During hospitalization 43 children (57%) had no pain while 32 (43%) have experienced pain. 22 children (29 %) had pain 24 hours before and 12 (16%) at the time of the interview. The average value of the PMI was -0.8±1.3 with a minimum of -3 and a maximum of +2: 60% (19) of the children had a PMI less than 0 (undertreated pain) while 40% (13) had a value=or>0. Out of 32 patients who needed an analgesic therapy 14 (44%) received an around-the-clock dosing, 8 (25%) an intermittent therapy and 10 (31%) no treatment.17 (77 %) were the single drug therapy and 5 (23%) the multimodal ones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of pain in the two departments is high. The main cause is that knowledge is not still well translated into clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Emergency, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Emergency, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vittori
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Emergency, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tortora
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Emergency, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Emergency, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lofino
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Surgery.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pardi
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Surgery.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Surgery.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manca
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Surgery.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Inserra
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Oncology and Hematology.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Oncology and Hematology.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ciaralli
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Oncology and Hematology.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Locatelli
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Pediatrics.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bella
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Telemedicine.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Tozzi
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome; Department of Emergency, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Picardo
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000293:Adolescent; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000082:Acetaminophen
keywords: Children; Pain; Prevalence; Therapypain