Assessment of postoperation pain in children and adolescents using the adolescent pediatric pain tool

Nurs Res. 1993 Jan-Feb;42(1):5-9.

Abstract

The location, intensity, and quality of pediatric postoperative pain were assessed in a convenience sample of 65 multiethnic children and adolescents, 8 to 17 years old. Pain was measured daily for 5 days during hospitalization using the Adolescent Pediatric Pain Tool (APPT). Mean pain intensity scores and mean number of pain descriptors (quality) decreased over time, but there was no significant change over time for the number of body segments marked (location). The findings provided valid and reliable estimates of adolescents' and children's self-reports of the location, intensity, and quality of postoperative pain.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Ethnicity
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Nursing Assessment / standards*
  • Nursing Evaluation Research
  • Pain Measurement / standards*
  • Pain, Postoperative / diagnosis
  • Pain, Postoperative / epidemiology
  • Pain, Postoperative / nursing*
  • Pediatric Nursing / methods*
  • Pediatric Nursing / standards
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Severity of Illness Index