Basics of Pediatric Pain Management

Chapter 18 covers the basics of pediatric pain management. Pediatric pain is a significant public health problem leading to lost days of school, increased use of the healthcare system, and multifactorial impact on all aspects of a child’s life. Pediatric patients present special clinical challenges because of variabilities in metabolism, susceptibility to disease and side effects, ability to communicate, developmental stage, coping skills, and support systems. This chapter serves as an introduction to the main features of pediatric pain management and reviews pain assessment, common causes of pain both acute and chronic, and basic nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic strategies in patients ranging from neonates to adolescents.