‘Just little tricks’: an exploration of treating children in pain

Abstract

Background: Pain is one of the commonest symptoms in patients of all ages presenting to ambulance services. Children in pain make up a relatively small proportion of the number of those attended by prehospital care and pain management is needed in only 40% of cases. This might go some way to explain why the management of paediatric pain is perceived to be poor. Aim: The primary aim of this study was to explore the experiences of UK paramedics in treating children in pain. Methods: A phenomenological study was undertaken using a purposeful sample of UK paramedics (n=12) to explore their experiences and decision-making during the treatment of children in pain. Results: Five themes became apparent through analysis—preparation and education; adaptation and change of approach; organisational and legal factors; support and guidance; familial and carer impact—with some crossover between themes noted. Conclusion: Clinicians are aware of multimodal techniques for managing pain in children but are often less confident in the use of pharmacological than non-pharmacological management methods. Advances in the use of technology in practice have enabled clinicians to use alternative measures to manage children in pain. However, while using these methods, practitioners lack confidence that they are meeting social expectations of their roles.