ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Pain is a multidimensional experience, and its management depends on both the professional’s sensitivity and their ability to choose strategies for measurement and relief. The nursing team plays a fundamental role in this process since the assessment of pain in a systematic way provides the right therapeutic measures to the child. The present study aimed to evaluate pain and analgesia in the medical records and to understand the perception of the nursing team regarding the management of pain in hospitalized children.
METHODS:
Qualitative, descriptive, exploratory research carried out in a tertiary level state university hospital. Data collection included patients hospitalized in a pediatric inpatient unit and a semi-structured interview with 24 members of the nursing team. A thematic analysis proposed by Minayo was used for data analysis. The analysis was performed following the Social Communication Model of Pain.
RESULTS:
Eighty medical records were analyzed, and although pain is considered the fifth vital sign, most of the nurse prescriptions for pain remain blank in the medical records The participants’ reports resulted in three categories: the naturalness of the pain in hospitalized children; the responsibility of the nursing team before the 5th vital sign; pain management.
CONCLUSION:
Paying attention to the painful process of a child requires some skills from the professional to identify, assess, use proper instruments, understand the feelings involved in the process, and entail care in the prioritization of pediatric pain management.
Keywords:
Nursing records; Pain; Pain measurement; Pediatric nursing