Post-operative pain in children: Comparison of pain scores between parents and children

Abstract

Aim: To compare the relationship between parent-child postoperative pain scores and explore the factors that led to the difference in the score.

Methods: Convenience sampling was used to select children and their parents who were 5-14 years old and scheduled for elective surgery as study subjects. When the child returned to the ward after surgery, the parent and child used the pain assessment tool to score the child's postoperative pain, respectively.

Results: A total of 214 children and their parents were included in the study. The results showed that the postoperative pain scores of parents and children were 3.69 ± 2.47 and 4.05 ± 2.90, respectively, and there were differences between the scores (P < 0.05). The results of multiple linear regression indicated that whether the child used Patient-Controlled Analgesia, different types of surgery and parents' pre-operative anxiety may be the reasons for the differences in parent-child scores.

Conclusion: The parents' pain scores differed from their children's pain scores. If health-care professionals wanted to use the parents' pain score to replace the child's pain score, consideration should be given to whether children used patient-controlled analgesia, different types of surgery and the parents' pre-operative anxiety on the parents' pain score.

Keywords: paediatric; pain assessment; parent; post-operative pain.