Andersson V, Bergman S, Henoch I, Simonsson H, Ahlberg K, et al.
BMC pediatrics. Date of publication 2022 May 5;volume 22(1):252.
1. BMC Pediatr. 2022 May 5;22(1):252. doi: 10.1186/s12887-022-03319-w.
Pain and pain management in children and adolescents receiving hospital care: a
cross-sectional study from Sweden.
Andersson V(1)(2), Bergman S(3)(4), Henoch I(5)(6), Simonsson H(7), Ahlberg
K(5).
Author information:
(1)Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Health and Care Sciences, University of
Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. Viveka.Andersson@regionhalland.se.
(2)Department of Medicine, Halland Hospital Varberg, Träslövsvägen 68, 432 37,
432 81, Varberg, SE, Sweden. Viveka.Andersson@regionhalland.se.
(3)Primary Health Care Unit, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine,
Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg,
Gothenburg, Sweden.
(4)Spenshult Research and Development Centre, Halmstad, Sweden.
(5)Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Health and Care Sciences, University of
Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
(6)Angered Local Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
(7)Department of Surgery, Halland Hospital Halmstad, Halmstad, Sweden.
BACKGROUND: Pain is a common symptom in children receiving hospital care.
Adequate pain management in paediatric patients is of the utmost importance. Few
studies have investigated children's own experiences of pain during
hospitalization.
AIM: To describe the prevalence of pain, self-reported pain intensity at rest
and during movement, pain management and compliance with pain treatment
guidelines in children and adolescents receiving hospital care. Furthermore, to
examine self-reported statements about pain relief and how often staff asked
about pain.
METHODS: A quantitative, cross-sectional study with descriptive statistics as
the data analysis method was conducted at a county hospital in western Sweden.
Sixty-nine children/adolescents aged 6-18 years who had experienced pain during
their hospital stay were included. A structured, verbally administered
questionnaire was used to obtain pain reports. The participants were also asked
what they considered alleviated pain and how often they told staff about pain.
Patient demographics, prescribed analgesics and documentation of pain rating
were obtained from medical records.
RESULTS: Fifty children/adolescents (72%) experienced moderate to severe pain in
the previous 24 hours. At the time of the interview 36% reported moderate to
severe pain at rest and 58% during movement. Seven participants (10%) reported
severe pain both at rest and during movement. About one-third were on a regular
multimodal analgesic regimen and 28% had used a validated pain rating scale.
Thirty children/adolescents (43%) reported that they had experienced procedural
pain in addition to their underlying pain condition. Most of the
children/adolescents (74%) reported that analgesics provided pain relief. Forty
(58%) stated that various non-pharmacological methods were helpful.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite evidence-based guidelines, half of the children/adolescents
experienced moderate to severe pain, highlighting the need for improvement. Pain
levels should be assessed both at rest and during movement. Response to
treatment should be evaluated to prevent undertreatment of pain. Compliance with
guidelines and professional communication are of the utmost importance for pain
management in children/adolescents. Non-pharmacological methods are a valuable
part of a pain management strategy. This study shows that it is important to
evaluate and improve pain care also outside specialised tertiary clinics.
© 2022. The Author(s).
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-022-03319-w
PMCID: PMC9074244
PMID: 35513880 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that they have no
competeting interests.
