Pediatric pain prevalence and parents' attitudes at a cancer hospital in Jordan
Author: Forgeron PA, Finley GA, Arnaout M.
Source:
Journal of pain and Symptom management, 31(5), 440-448.
There has been little research on implementation of pediatric pain programs.
These studies are part of a project to develop such a program for the King
Hussein Cancer Centre in Jordan. Study 1 captured information on pain prevalence
in 35 children using chart reviews and parent/child interviews to establish
baseline pain burden. Forty-seven percent of children had pain at the time of
interview; 11% had "a lot" of pain and only 22% received analgesics. Twenty-two
parents were interviewed in Study 2 to identify attitudes toward pain management.
Thematic analysis revealed six themes: 1) pain can and should be managed; 2)
God's will; 3) parent's worst pain was emotional pain due to child's diagnosis;
4) belief that their presence could ameliorate their child's pain; 5) desire for
shared decision making; and 6) the child's responsibility to express pain. These
study results were used to inform the action research approach in the overall
project.