Difficulty, despair and hope – an insight into the world of the health professionals treating paediatric pain in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The recognition and treatment of paediatric pain in sub-Saharan Africa brings many challenges and barriers for health professionals to overcome. This paper aims to give a unique insight into the world of the health professional through a dynamic cycle of interpretation via Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. In-depth interviews with six health professionals were conducted and revealed four main themes: a burden-filled workload, mythology, lack of education and pharmacology. Findings showed how working in this field affects health professionals personally; the task of treating children who suffer unnecessary pain is emotive and potentially damaging. The way in which parents, health professionals and children view pain in terms of their everyday existence and within the context of their culture seems fundamental to gaining a better understanding of the barriers to providing pain relief to children in sub-Saharan Africa.