No abstract

adapt procedures for a national multi-site study. Pilot 2 is currently underway. Data has been collected for 64 patients at 3 sites. Patients ranged in age from 4 months to 25 years. Most (81%) were admitted to the PICU for medical reasons (versus surgical); 39% were mechanically ventilated at the time of data collection. Length of PICU admission ranged from 1 to 752 days. Nurses agreed or strongly agreed that 25 patients (39%) could effectively communicate pain. Pain assessments were conducted on average 9 times (SD 4.9) during the 24 hours (range 2 to 28). Pain was present in 15% of assessments. Characteristics of pain (location, quality, etiology) were infrequently documented. Pharmacological interventions were provided to 83% of patients; most often (65%) opioid analgesics were provided. Non-pharmacological interventions were provided to 61% of patients. The most commonly documented non-pharmacological interventions included decreasing environmental stimuli, caregiver/ parent presence, and repositioning. Nearly all (92%) patients received a potentially painful procedure (range 1 to 31 procedures). This pilot contributes preliminary results for a multi-site study in which the pain experience of critically ill children in the United States will be captured. Findings will inform future research and priorities for quality improvement.