No abstract

Nurse telephone follow-up was beneficial for some pain management and prevention of complications, although better analgesic treatments are needed. The intervention was simple, safe, and appreciated by parents.

Study findings confirmed the validity of the CPOT for the assessment of the sensory and affective components of pain in the postcardiac surgery ICU adults. Vital signs were not specific to pain and should be used only as cues to begin further assessment of pain using validated instruments for this purpose.