Pediatric acute pain management it one of the top priorities in pediatric nursing. It is one of the top reasons to seek medical care. Acute pain refers to pain that is not long-lasting. This could be from a medical procedure, injury, illness, or simple operation. Depending on what causes the pain it could last from a few seconds to a few weeks. The use of a combination of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain interventions can improve pain control in the pediatric patient. According to HCUP Nationwide Emergency Department Sample almost 129 million visits to the emergency department in 2009, children ages 0-17 years accounted for 28 million or 22% of visits. These visits to the emergency department and the anticipation of the
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It will also help children associate future interactions with the medical world with a positive and non-threatening view. Pain management with pharmacological is usually a topical anesthetic cream or gel. This topical anesthetic cream or gel helps to numb the area that it applied to, but the time it takes to absorbed is 30-60 minutes for it to work. Non-pharmacological methods used are often distraction that include: cold therapy, vibration, books, music, movies, cards, and kaleidoscope. It is important for nursing to effectively assess pain in the pediatric patient and treat according to policies and procedures set forth in the facility. Therefore, this review of literature will explore current research on if the combination of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain interventions are more effective than just pharmacological pain methods alone on acute pain in pediatric patients. CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), PubMed, and the Cochrane database were searched. Key words used for the search included: nonpharmacological pain management, distraction, anxiety, pediatric pain, acute pain, and pediatric pain …show more content…
Pain is subjective. It is whatever the person says it is and when it is happening. As a nurse you must be aware of the different assessment tools available and how to use them correctly. Self-reporting is the best method for pain assessment, however, most pediatric patients can barely talk, let alone inform their nurse of pain. So behavioral and physiological observation is very important to the pediatric nurse. Physiological indicators of acute pain include an increase in respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure. Children are irritable and restless when they are in pain. They may also just go to sleep. If the child is of age and can tell you they don’t feel good and how bad it hurts, self-reporting is the best method to use. Asking the younger pediatric patient to point to where it hurts and how it feels. If the child is less likely to talk with the nurse, ask the patient or caregiver. The pediatric patient parent or caregiver is a great resource in letting the nurse know if this is that child’s normal response to pain or what the child has complained about at home. Inadequate pain management has been shown to affect patient outcomes by potentially increasing hospital length of stay and delaying recovery (Schechter, Berde, and Yaster, 2003). Most acute pediatric pain comes from common childhood illnesses. The goal is to recognize where the pain is, how it is affecting the child, and to
It will also help children associate future interactions with the medical world with a positive and non-threatening view. Pain management with pharmacological is usually a topical anesthetic cream or gel. This topical anesthetic cream or gel helps to numb the area that it applied to, but the time it takes to absorbed is 30-60 minutes for it to work. Non-pharmacological methods used are often distraction that include: cold therapy, vibration, books, music, movies, cards, and kaleidoscope. It is important for nursing to effectively assess pain in the pediatric patient and treat according to policies and procedures set forth in the facility. Therefore, this review of literature will explore current research on if the combination of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain interventions are more effective than just pharmacological pain methods alone on acute pain in pediatric patients. CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), PubMed, and the Cochrane database were searched. Key words used for the search included: nonpharmacological pain management, distraction, anxiety, pediatric pain, acute pain, and pediatric pain …show more content…
Pain is subjective. It is whatever the person says it is and when it is happening. As a nurse you must be aware of the different assessment tools available and how to use them correctly. Self-reporting is the best method for pain assessment, however, most pediatric patients can barely talk, let alone inform their nurse of pain. So behavioral and physiological observation is very important to the pediatric nurse. Physiological indicators of acute pain include an increase in respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure. Children are irritable and restless when they are in pain. They may also just go to sleep. If the child is of age and can tell you they don’t feel good and how bad it hurts, self-reporting is the best method to use. Asking the younger pediatric patient to point to where it hurts and how it feels. If the child is less likely to talk with the nurse, ask the patient or caregiver. The pediatric patient parent or caregiver is a great resource in letting the nurse know if this is that child’s normal response to pain or what the child has complained about at home. Inadequate pain management has been shown to affect patient outcomes by potentially increasing hospital length of stay and delaying recovery (Schechter, Berde, and Yaster, 2003). Most acute pediatric pain comes from common childhood illnesses. The goal is to recognize where the pain is, how it is affecting the child, and to