Journal of pediatric nursing
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Pediatric nurses practicing in a children's hospital participated in this exploratory study investigating nurses' attitudes regarding postoperative pain in infants, including recognition of pain cues and strategies for pain management. Three instruments developed by us were used to obtain data: the Pain Questionnaire, a demographic and attitudinal profile; a self-directed videotape; and the Videotape Questionnaire, an interactive tool to obtain participant responses to videotaped vignettes of infants recovering from surgery. ⋯ Nurses attending pediatric pain classes administered more narcotics. Noncritical care nurses rated the pain experienced by the infants in the vignettes to be more severe compared with ratings made by critical care nurses.
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Painful procedures, experienced by many pediatric patients early in their admission, have been identified by parents in our clinical practice as a source of stress. The purpose of this study was to examine parents' perceptions and concerns about their child's acute pain experience. A convenience sample of 71 parents of 62 children was given a questionnaire that focused on the child's pain intensity, the behaviors that indicated the child was in pain, and the parents' preparation for and involvement in the child's pain experience. The majority of parents were asking for more information about and greater participation in procedures that caused their child pain.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of families, specifically their adaptability, cohesion, and coping mechanisms during a child's intensive care hospitalization. The sample consisted of 30 families with children hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit. ⋯ Results indicate that the families were, as a whole, healthy in their levels of functioning; their dimensions of adaptability and cohesion were balanced. The families studied utilized a variety of coping mechanisms, and specific characteristics were identified that enabled the families to adjust to the child's intensive care hospitalization.
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The purpose of this study was to determine if patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an effective method of postoperative pain relief for children. Fifteen general surgery patients, aged 11 to 18 years, were treated for pain with PCA. ⋯ The average amount of medication administered by PCA was compared with the amount given to similar group of children treated by traditional administration; overall, the PCA group received less morphine than the traditional group. This study indicates that PCA is a valuable addition to pain management for the pediatric patient.