A YOUNG CHILDS PAIN - HOW PARENTS AND NURSES TAKE CARE

A qualitative study was undertaken to describe how parents and nurses respond to hospitalized young children experiencing pain from surgical interventions. Participant observation was used to identify care beha viours and the care context within which the children experienced, and caregivers witnessed, post-operative pain, Interviews with parents, n urses, and children were also conducted during the observation periods and prior to discharge to augment the observational data, Care provid ed by parents included comfort measures and vigilant monitoring of the children's pain. Nurses primarily provided technical care, used limit ed pain assessment approaches, and were not able to adequately allevia te the children's pain. Factors, strategies, and feelings associated w ith these care behaviours are described, The most salient recommendati ons arising from these findings are that nurses: (a) be provided with education about pain assessment and management, and (b) be empowered b y policies that allow them to sensitively and effectively respond to c hildren in pain. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.