The Management of Pain in Children
Steven J. Weisman MD1
Neil L. Schechter MD2
1 Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Co-Director, Children's Pain Service, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030
2 Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Head, Division of Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics, Co-Director, Children's Pain Service, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington CT, Director, Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT.
There are now safe and effective techniques which can decrease significantly the amount of pain a child will experience in an acute care setting. For such techniques to work, however, the importance of pain management in children must be recognized. It should be assumed that anything that will hurt an adult will also hurt a child and that children are, in fact, often more sensitive to hospital procedures than are adults. Pain assessment should be a part of the child's care plan, and developmentally appropriate ways of recognizing pain should be in place in all hospitals that care for children. Behavioral and pharmacologic techniques should be tailored to the needs of the individual child. The skill of physicians should be assessed not only by their cure of illnesses, but by the comfort they provide in the process.
