Non-pharmacological Management of Procedural Pain in Children: Health Worker’s Approach at a Tertiary Health Facility, Southern Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Pain is one of the most recurrent complaints obtainable in paediatric settings especially while carrying out procedures. The emergency section is a very tasking place for children. Hence it is important for health care workers to follow a child focussed or individual methods in their assessment and management of pain and painful procedures. Aim: To determine health workers’ approach towards non-pharmacological management of procedural pain in children at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).  Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out between November 2019 and January 2020. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to retrieve information on biodata, knowledge and practice of non -pharmacological management of procedural pain in children. Data was entered into Microsoft Excel spread sheet and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21. Results: Respondents in this study included 25(24.8%) physicians and 61(60.4%) nurses. Forty-four respondents (43.5%) had more than 10 years’ work experience. Self-development 59 (58.4%) was the most common source of knowledge of paediatric pain management. Fourteen (13.9%) respondents knew the appropriate time of applying non-pharmacological measures of which distraction was the most common strategy mentioned (n=85, 84.2%) and used (36%). Nurses were significantly more knowledgeable about non-pharmacological methods of pain management in children (p= .000). Conclusion: There are gaps in knowledge and practice of clinicians concerning use of non-pharmacological interventions in the management of procedural pain in children. Development of a standard protocol would be an asset. There is need for necessary tools, and institutional commitment to adequate pain relief for children in our institution.