Articles: child.
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Programs that assist parents and children with coping during hospitalization may minimize the emotional trauma of hospitalization and improve both child and family well-being. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of parental visitation in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) on pre- and postoperative anxiety levels of pediatric patients and parents. Sixty-eight patient-parent pairs were enrolled in the study: 20 before implementing parental visitation and 48 following implementation. Although no differences were found in children's anxiety levels pre- to postoperatively, the anxiety levels of parents who visited their children in the PACU were significantly lower postoperatively.
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A system has been established to document births and deaths in children in a large, rural, West African population, using community reporters. Causes of death in children under the age of 5 years were investigated using post-mortem questionnaires completed by field assistants. There was a marked seasonal incidence of all major causes of death with peak rates in the rainy season. ⋯ Other major causes of death were malaria, acute gastro-enteritis and chronic diarrhoea with malnutrition. Mortality from all the major causes of death decreased with increasing village size. Our findings have implications for interventions against childhood mortality.
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Opioids have been used for analgesia in nearly all civilizations. In paediatrics their use has become widely accepted for combating severe pain, especially postoperative pain and tumour pain. Receptors in the central nervous system are the best known sites of action of opioids, but the existence of peripheral receptors is also probable. ⋯ Tramadol is widely used for emergencies, as it has the least sedative action; but it has disadvantages in causing nausea and vomiting. Codeine is widely used for its antitussive action. While the necessity of good analgesia for even the smallest infant cannot be overstated, the opioid used must be carefully selected with reference to the age of the child and the pain to be controlled.
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The subject of treatment of pain in children and elderly patients has been neglected to date. This symposium deals with the problems of pain treatment in these two age groups and shows the importance of adequate therapy to improve their quality of life.
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To explore the relationships between parents' reactions to the pediatric intensive care unit admission of a child and characteristics of the child's illness. ⋯ Parents' reactions to their child's critical illness and admission to the pediatric intensive care unit were not related to characteristics of the child's condition in this small sample. Future research needs are suggested.