Pain management in children undergoing surgical procedures

Abstract

In view of the relevance of adequate pain management in the evolution of the clinical picture of children, this study aims to emphasize, for health professionals, the importance of using the Analgesic Ladder and pain assessment scale and their recording. The objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic suitability of the analgesic used according to the Pain Management Index, to the intensity and to pain reported by children submitted to a surgical procedure. An exploratory and quantitative study was carried out in which the sample consisted of 31 children from 5 to 12 years of age in the immediate postoperative period. The data collection instrument was composed of questions about sociodemographic and clinical data. Pain assessment occurred for 3 consecutive days. The univariate descriptive analysis was performed and the results were presented in the form of graphs and tables. A high prevalence of pain was found in the first (48%) and third (45%) postoperative days, with a greater pain intensity on the first day (moderate to intense 49%). On the first day the children presented greater analgesic inadequacies and the registration of pain in the medical records did not correspond to the amount of reports. These inadequacies constitute an important challenge for children’s postoperative success. This study serves as a subsidy for improvements in the quality of the postoperative care of children.