The study, performed by researchers at the University of California at Irvine and the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (Calif.), found that although a majority of parents with children undergoing an ambulatory procedure reported their child having “significant overall pain,” parents did not administer appropriate pain medication to reduce pain levels.
The study investigated the post-operative pain of 261 patients aged 2-12. According to the study, 86 percent of parents reported their children having significant pain on the first day following the surgery, but one-fourth of parents reported having administered either no pain medication or only one dose. On the third day after the surgery, two-thirds of parents still reported their children having significant pain, but 41 percent administered no pain medication or only one dose.
The authors suggest that parents may be apprehensive about administering pain medication but note that round-the-clock pain treatment is the only way to prevent the occurrence of pain.
Read the Pediatrics article on pediatric pain management.
