A survey of pain in hospitalized patients aged 4-14 years

Abstract

One hundred fifty randomly selected hospitalized children between the ages of 4-14 were interviewed to assess their pain experience in the hospital. Follow-up information was obtained through parent interviews 3 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months later. On enrollment, more than 87% of children reported having had pain within 24 h and, of those, 19% reported their usual pain intensity as in the severe range. Thirty-eight percent of children had received analgesic medication during the preceding 24 h. Children who had undergone surgery were three to four times more likely to have received narcotic analgesic than nonsurgical patients, although similar proportions in both groups reported moderate to severe pain intensity. In spite of these reports of significant pain by a substantial number of children during hospitalization, at the 3-week follow-up check, by parent report, 68% were pain free. The parents of those with pain were contacted at 3 and 6 months postenrollment, and 96% of children were no longer experiencing pain. Five children reported pain at all contact points; three of these were suffering chronic diseases and the other two had suffered major trauma from motor-vehicle accidents.