Amy L. Drendel

Pain Assessment for Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Department

OBJECTIVE. To examine the relationship between pediatric patient visit characteristics and pain score documentation in the emergency department (ED) and determine whether documentation of a pain score is associated with increased analgesic use. METHODS. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of ED visits for pediatric patients from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (1997–2000). Survey weighted regression first was used to assess the association between patient visit characteristics and pain score documentation. The regression then was repeated to determine the association between documentation of a pain score and analgesic use, adjusting for visit characteristics. RESULTS. A total of 24707 visits were included. Only 44.5% of visits had documented pain scores. In the regression analysis, younger age, self-pay, visits to pediatric facilities, and visits that were not designated as injury related were associated with decreased pain score documentation. Documentation of pain score was associated with increased odds of an analgesic prescription and opioid prescription. When no pain score was documented, the odds of receiving any analgesic was similar to visits with pain documented as mild. CONCLUSION. ED pain score documentation is suboptimal in the pediatric population. Infants and toddlers are at particular risk for not having a pain score documented. There is a significant association between pain score documentation and the use of any analgesic, particularly opioids. Improvements in pain documentation for acutely ill and injured children are needed to improve pain management.

A Randomized Clinical Trial of Ibuprofen Versus Acetaminophen With Codeine for Acute Pediatric Arm Fracture Pain

STUDY OBJECTIVE We compare the treatment of pain in children with arm fractures by ibuprofen 10 mg/kg versus acetaminophen with codeine 1 mg/kg/dose (codeine component). METHODS This was a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial of children during the first 3 days after discharge from the emergency department (ED). The primary outcome was failure of the oral study medication, defined as use of the rescue medication. Pain medication use, pain scores, functional outcomes, adverse effects, and satisfaction were also assessed. RESULTS Three hundred thirty-six children were randomized to treatment, 169 to ibuprofen and 167 to acetaminophen with codeine; 244 patients were analyzed. Both groups used a median of 4 doses (interquartile range 2, 6.5). The proportion of treatment failures for ibuprofen (20.3%) was lower than for acetaminophen with codeine (31.0%), though not statistically significant (difference=10.7%; 95% confidence interval -0.2 to 21.6). The proportion of children who had any function (play, sleep, eating, school) affected by pain when pain was analyzed by day after injury was significantly lower for the ibuprofen group. Significantly more children receiving acetaminophen with codeine reported adverse effects and did not want to use it for future fractures. CONCLUSION Ibuprofen was at least as effective as acetaminophen with codeine for outpatient analgesia for children with arm fractures. There was no significant difference in analgesic failure or pain scores, but children receiving ibuprofen had better functional outcomes. Children receiving ibuprofen had significantly fewer adverse effects, and both children and parents were more satisfied with ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is preferable to acetaminophen with codeine for outpatient treatment of children with uncomplicated arm fractures.

Pain assessment for children: overcoming challenges and optimizing care.

There is growing evidence that children have short- and long-term physical, physiological, and psychological effects due to untreated acute pain. Because the majority of children who seek care in an emergency department present with pain or experience pain during the evaluation and treatment in the emergency department, optimal assessment and treatment of pain are paramount for this population. This review will highlight the many complexities of the assessment of pain for the pediatric patient. In addition, a variety of factors that affect the self-report of pain in children will be identified. Optimizing the utility of a pain assessment remains a challenge for the health care provider in the emergency setting. The common goal of a decreased experience of pain for children through improved analgesic administration remains.

Pain management of musculoskeletal injuries in children: current state and future directions.

Background: Pain is the most common reason for seeking health care in the Western world and is a contributing factor in up to 80% of all emergency department (ED) visits. In the pediatric emergency setting, musculoskeletal injuries are one of the most common painful presentations. Inadequate pain management during medical care, especially among very young children, can have numerous detrimental effects. No standard of care exists for the management of acute musculoskeletal injury-related pain in children. Within the ED setting, pain from such injuries has been repeatedly shown to be undertreated. Objectives: Upon completion of this CME article, the reader should be better able to (1) distinguish multiple nonpharmacological techniques for minimizing and treating pain and anxiety in children with musculoskeletal injuries, (2) apply recent medical literature in deciding pharmacological strategies for the treatment of children with musculoskeletal injuries, and (3) interpret the basic principles of pharmacogenomics and how they relate to analgesic efficacy. Results: Pediatric musculoskeletal injuries are both common and painful. There is growing evidence that, in addition to pharmacological therapy, nonpharmacological methods can be introduced to improve analgesia in the ED and after discharge. Traditionally, acetaminophen with codeine has been used to treat moderate orthopedic injury-related pain in children. Other oral opioids (hydrocodone, oxycodone) are gaining popularity, as well. Current data suggest that ibuprofen is at least as effective as acetaminophen-codeine and codeine alone. Medication compliance might be improved if adverse effects were minimized, and ibuprofen has been shown to have a similar or better adverse effect profile than the oral opioids to which it has been compared. Pharmacogenomic data show that nearly 50% of individuals have at least 1 reduced functioning allele resulting in suboptimal conversion of codeine to active analgesic, so it is not surprising that codeine analgesic efficacy is not optimal. At the same time, nonpharmacological therapies are emerging as commonly used treatment options by parents and adjuncts to analgesic medication. The efficacy and role of techniques (massage, music therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation), although promising, require further clarification in the treatment of orthopedic injury pain. Conclusions: There is a need to optimize the measurement, documentation, and treatment of pain in children. There is growing evidence that nonpharmacological methods can be introduced to improve analgesia in the ED, and efforts to help parents implement these methods at home might be advantageous to optimize outpatient treatment plans. In pharmacotherapy, ibuprofen has emerged as an appropriate first-line choice for mild-moderate orthopedic pain. Other oral opioids (hydrocodone, oxycodone) are gaining popularity over codeine, because of the current understanding of the pharmacogenomics of such medications.

Emergency department revisits for pediatric acute asthma exacerbations: association of factors identified in an emergency department asthma tracking system.

Objective: To identify clinical variables associated with a greater likelihood of emergency department (ED) revisit for acute asthma within 7 days after an initial ED visit for acute asthma exacerbation. Methods: Cross-sectional study of subjects from a prospectively enrolled cohort of children aged 0 to 18 years with physician-diagnosed asthma in the ED Allies Tracking System. Demographics and data on quality of life, health care utilization, environmental factors, chronic asthma severity, and ED management were collected. Emergency department revisits for acute asthma within 7 days of a prior visit resulting in discharge were compared with those without a revisit, using &khgr;2 and t tests and logistic regression. Results: Four thousand two hundred twenty-eight ED asthma visits were enrolled; 3276 visits resulted in discharge. Persistent asthma was identified in 66% of visits. Emergency department revisits within 7 days of a prior visit occurred following 133 (4.1%) visits. There were no significant differences in environmental factors or ED management between visits with and without an ED revisit. In univariate analysis factors associated with a greater revisit likelihood included age younger than 2 years, black race or Hispanic ethnicity, persistent asthma, public insurance, lower quality of life, and greater health care utilization in the prior 12 months. Variables independently significant (P < 0.05) in logistic regression were chronic asthma severity classified as persistent, age younger than 2 years, and lower asthma quality of life. Conclusions: Although our design precludes drawing causal inference, our results suggest that children younger than 2 years or with persistent asthma or lower asthma quality-of-life scores are at greater risk for ED revisits after acute ED asthma care.

Clinically Meaningful Measurement of Pain in Children with Sickle Cell Disease

Limited understanding of the interpretability of patient‐reported pain scores may impact pain management. The current study assessed the minimal clinically significant improvement in pain and pain scores signifying patient‐reported need for medication and treatment satisfaction in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Parent satisfaction with acute pediatric pain treatment at home.

Objectives:Outpatient pain management after acute injuries is an important part of emergency department (ED) care, but there is little evidence to support best practice. Satisfaction with care is one way to assess the effectiveness of current practice. This study describes the outpatient pain experience for children with an arm fracture and explores the variables associated with parents’ dissatisfaction with pain treatment for 2 analgesics after ED care. Methods:As a part of a randomized clinical trial assessing pain treatment after an arm fracture, parents and their children completed daily diaries recording pain scores, function disruption (play, school, sleep, eating), and adverse effects for 3 days after discharge from the ED. Parents and children also completed the Total Quality Pain Management Instrument on the third day to assess pain experience. Parents’ satisfaction was defined with an arm fracture lowest reported satisfaction during the study period. Results:A total of 244 children with complete diaries were analyzed. More than half of children reported pain at home that was present “all the time” or “quite a bit.” Thirty-two percent of parents were not satisfied with home pain treatment for their child. Parents’ dissatisfaction was strongly associated with inadequate pain relief. It was also independently associated with nausea, disruption in play and sleep, and increased doses of medication. Discussion:Children with arm fractures experience noteworthy pain in the outpatient setting. Parents’ dissatisfaction with home pain management for children suggests that more research is needed to evaluate the factors that result in improvements in both parent and child satisfaction and the most effective way of producing those changes.

An Evidence-Based Approach to Minimizing Acute Procedural Pain in the Emergency Department and Beyond.

Background Painful procedures are common in the ED setting and beyond. Although these procedures are often essential to patient management, they can also be distressing for children, parents, and health providers. As such, it is imperative that effective pain and anxiety-minimizing strategies be used consistently in all settings where painful procedures take place for children. Objectives This review article aims to provide a summary of several strategies, which are supported by definitive and systematically reviewed evidence, that can be implemented alone or in combination to reduce procedural pain and anxiety for children in the ED and beyond. Results For neonates, breastfeeding, nonnutritive sucking, swaddling, and sucrose administration have all been shown to decrease pain during painful interventions. For neonates, venipuncture is much less painful than heel lance for blood draws. For infants, there is some support for sucrose use. For infants and older children, there is strong evidence for distraction techniques. In addition, the use of fast-acting topical anesthetic creams as an alternative or adjunct to infiltrating anesthetic before laceration repair or vascular access/venipuncture is recommended. Further, buffering of lidocaine can decrease pain during injection. Lastly, if a laceration is amenable to the use of tissue adhesive, this should be preferentially used. Conclusions In summary, there currently remains a knowledge-to-practice gap in the treatment of childrens procedure-related pain. This article has identified multiple age-specific methods to improve the treatment of procedural pain. These simple interventions can improve the care provided to ill and injured children.

Pain Management of Pediatric Musculoskeletal Injury in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review.

Background. Pain management for children with musculoskeletal injuries is suboptimal and, in the absence of clear evidence-based guidelines, varies significantly. Objective. To systematically review the most effective pain management for children presenting to the emergency department with musculoskeletal injuries. Methods. Electronic databases were searched systematically for randomized controlled trials of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for children aged 0–18 years, with musculoskeletal injury, in the emergency department. The primary outcome was the risk ratio for successful reduction in pain scores. Results. Of 34 studies reviewed, 8 met inclusion criteria and provided data on 1169 children from 3 to 18 years old. Analgesics used greatly varied, making comparisons difficult. Only two studies compared the same analgesics with similar routes of administration. Two serious adverse events occurred without fatalities. All studies showed similar pain reduction between groups except one study that favoured ibuprofen when compared to acetaminophen. Conclusions. Due to heterogeneity of medications and routes of administration in the articles reviewed, an optimal analgesic cannot be recommended for all pain categories. Larger trials are required for further evaluation of analgesics, especially trials combining a nonopioid with an opioid agent or with a nonpharmacological intervention.

A consensus-based criterion standard definition for pediatric patients who needed the highest-level trauma team activation

Background Verbal prehospital reports on an injured patient’s condition are typically used by trauma centers to determine if a trauma team should be present in the emergency department prior to patient arrival (i.e., trauma team activation). Efficacy studies of trauma team activation protocols cannot be conducted without a criterion standard definition for which pediatric patients need a trauma team activation.