The Treatment of Pediatric Pain in Spain: A Survey Study

Jordi Miró (), Ester Solé, Elena Castarlenas, Pablo Ingelmo, Maria del Carme Nolla, Joaquín Escribano and Francisco Reinoso-Barbero
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Jordi Miró: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Carretera de Valls, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Ester Solé: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Carretera de Valls, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Elena Castarlenas: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Carretera de Valls, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Pablo Ingelmo: Department of Anesthesia, McGill University, 1001 Boul. Decarie, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
Maria del Carme Nolla: Chair in Pediatric Pain, Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain—ALGOS, Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), 43007 Tarragona, Spain
Joaquín Escribano: School of Medicine, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, IISPV, 43201 Reus, Spain
Francisco Reinoso-Barbero: Pediatric Anesthesiology Service, Hospital Universitario La Paz, P. Castellana 261, 28046 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: Pain is a common experience among children and adolescents, and pain management in this population is a challenge to clinicians. The aims of this study were to increase our understanding of current practices in the management of both acute and chronic pediatric pain in Spain, explore potential barriers to ideal practices, and identify professional needs as perceived by healthcare professionals. A total of 277 healthcare professionals took part, all of whom had wide experience in managing children and adolescents with pain (M [SD] age = 44.85, [10.73]; 75% women). Participants had to respond to a web-based survey with 50 questions related to pain education, organizational characteristics of their pain programs (including the characteristics of the patients treated), and current practices in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with pain. Almost all the participants (93%) acknowledged important gaps in their training, and only 47% reported that they had received specific education on the management of pediatric pain during their undergraduate and postgraduate studies. A third (31%) were members of multidisciplinary teams, and almost all (99%) understood that protocols to guide the management of pain in young people were necessary. However, only a few of them used a protocol to assess and treat (56% and 48%, respectively) acute and chronic pain (24% and 23%, respectively). The data also showed that a lack of pain education, coordination of professionals, and guidelines was perceived as an important barrier in the care provided to children and adolescents with pain in Spain. The findings of this study can now be used by healthcare professionals in Spain interested in managing pediatric pain, as well as policymakers concerned to improve the education of professionals and the care given to young people with pain.

Keywords: adolescents; children; healthcare professionals; pain; pain management; pain programs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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