Pain prevalence in infants and preschool children in a Colombian hospital

Abstract

Introduction: The pain prevalence in hospitalized infants and preschool children has not been accurately identified in high-income countries, and in low and medium-income countries it has not been extensively studied. The assessment instruments are limited.
 Objective: To describe the prevalence and management of pain in infants and preschool children during the first 24 hours of hospitalization in a third level institution in Colombia, using the CRIES scale.
 Methods: An observational study was conducted during the first 24 hours of hospitalization. Demographic information was recorded, pain was assessed at admission, after 4, and 24 hours using the CRIES scale. Pharmacological therapy was also documented.
 Results: 250 children between one month and 5 years old were studied. The pain prevalence at admission was 12 %. The pain prevalence per subgroups was higher among the surgical patients, as compared to the clinical patients (35.9 % vs. 7.6 %). The pharmacological analysis revealed that 70.8 % of patients received treatment; the most widely used medications were oral acetaminophen and intravenous dipyrone.
 Conclusions: Pain prevalence was lower than the levels described for the general pediatric population. This result may be due to the sensitivity of the CRIES instrument, or to a particular pain behavior. Further studies are needed to identify the sensitivity of the assessment instruments in early life and to accurately investigate any associated phenomena.

Non-pharmacological therapies for pain management in paediatric intensive care units: a protocol for a scoping review

“…Despite recent scientific and technological developments, paediatric patients frequently lack adequate pain relief 2–9…”

“…In addition, it addresses aspects related to the different ages of children in PICUs who are receiving non-pharmacological treatment for pain. Furthermore, paediatric intensive care professionals need access to the best and most up-to-date scientific evidence on non-pharmacological therapies for pain management in PICUs 6 8 9. The development of a quality scoping review can provide data that explores the phenomenon of non-pharmacological therapies in critically ill children and helps interpret the various factors involved in paediatric critical care.…”

“…Furthermore, paediatric intensive care professionals need access to the best and most up-to-date scientific evidence on non-pharmacological therapies for pain management in PICUs. 6 8 9 The development of a quality scoping review can provide data that explores the phenomenon of non-pharmacological therapies in critically ill children and helps interpret the various factors involved in paediatric critical care. Thus, this review aims to map the research that used non-pharmacological therapies for pain management in PICUs and provide information to investigate the characteristics of these techniques.…”

“…2 3 Despite recent scientific and technological developments, paediatric patients frequently lack adequate pain relief. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Moreover, lack of pain relief is considered one of the most commonly reported adverse events in the US PICUs. 2 According to the International Association for the Study of Pain, pain relief has been discussed as a human right by international institutions since 2004.…”