Running Head: Postoperative Pediatric Pain Management

Postoperative Pediatric Pain Management: A Multidisciplinary Concept Analysis

Postoperative Pediatric Pain Management: A Multidisciplinary Concept Analysis
Acute pain following a surgical procedure is one of the most common stimuli experiences by pediatric patients. Pediatric postoperative pain management has long been overlooked and treated differently than adult pain management. There tend to many misconceptions when it comes to pediatric pain management stemming from the belief that children do not experience pain the same way as adults. Since the pediatric population is not legally allowed to make medical decisions, guardians must make these decisions for them. …show more content…

Antecedents to this particular study are lower limb surgery, demographics of the patient, and distress. Criteria are listed as advocate, frequent assessment, population appropriate assessment and education. Consequences would be increased coping, trust, increased knowledge, and family involvement. Twycross (2008) examined the quality of the management of pediatric postoperative pain given by nurses on a surgical postoperative unit. Nurses were interviewed about how they perceived the importance of pain management in their pediatric patients. The results were astounding. When it comes to the pediatric population, pain management is often overlooked and not given much importance. It was found that nurses often distance themselves from their young patients that are in pain as a coping mechanism for the stress of caring for sick children. Many nurses stated their priority in pediatric pain management was solely to administer analgesia, but believed nursing care for pain should encompass the whole patient, including the family and caregivers. The thought of possibly inflicting more harm on the patient, in forms of an injection or other invasive intervention, overtook their desire to relieve the pain stemming from the surgical procedure. The criterion that needs to be implemented in pediatric pain management is that it be a priority, holistic, and exclude nurses’ personal beliefs about pain management.