Effectiveness of oral sucrose solution upon pain perception among infants undergoing IV cannulation
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background of the study “Pain is only what you allow it to be”.- Cassandra Clare
Pain is a subjective experience, and infants and children respond to pain with the behavioural reactions that depend upon the age and cognitive processes. Pain may occur as a result of procedures, surgery, illness or injury. During infancy, reflective behaviour is dominant. Between 3 and 10 months of age, infants are able to localize pain as they withdraw their limbs, stool, hiccough and cry. After 6 months, an infant’s response to pain is influenced by the recall of prior pain experience and the emotional reactions of parents or caregivers during a procedure. These older infants react intensively with physical resistance and uncooperativeness. The toddler is able to localize pain and reacts by withdrawing the affected part.
Infants are becoming increasingly subjected to longer battery of invasive investigations which are painful. Assessing and treating pain in infants can be difficult. Infants and children are often unable or unwilling to communicate the presence, location and intensity of pain. Parents may be reluctant to acknowledge or to help to validate their child’s pain. The American Academy of Paediatrics and the American Pain Society addressed the need for appropriate pain management in children in their joint statement presented in 2001. They noted that, despite comprehensive research, anecdotal experience and ample knowledge from the past 10 to 15 years, the assessment and treatment of pain in children frequently remain inadequate.
Although the ability to measure pain in children has improved dramatically in recent years, assessment of pain in children continues to be complex and challenging. Three types of measures- behavioural, physiologic, and self report- have been developed to measure children’s pain.
Behavioural assessment is useful for measuring
Pain is a subjective experience, and infants and children respond to pain with the behavioural reactions that depend upon the age and cognitive processes. Pain may occur as a result of procedures, surgery, illness or injury. During infancy, reflective behaviour is dominant. Between 3 and 10 months of age, infants are able to localize pain as they withdraw their limbs, stool, hiccough and cry. After 6 months, an infant’s response to pain is influenced by the recall of prior pain experience and the emotional reactions of parents or caregivers during a procedure. These older infants react intensively with physical resistance and uncooperativeness. The toddler is able to localize pain and reacts by withdrawing the affected part.
Infants are becoming increasingly subjected to longer battery of invasive investigations which are painful. Assessing and treating pain in infants can be difficult. Infants and children are often unable or unwilling to communicate the presence, location and intensity of pain. Parents may be reluctant to acknowledge or to help to validate their child’s pain. The American Academy of Paediatrics and the American Pain Society addressed the need for appropriate pain management in children in their joint statement presented in 2001. They noted that, despite comprehensive research, anecdotal experience and ample knowledge from the past 10 to 15 years, the assessment and treatment of pain in children frequently remain inadequate.
Although the ability to measure pain in children has improved dramatically in recent years, assessment of pain in children continues to be complex and challenging. Three types of measures- behavioural, physiologic, and self report- have been developed to measure children’s pain.
Behavioural assessment is useful for measuring