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Practice Guidelines for the Assessment of Children With Sickle Cell Pain
Author(s) -
Beyer Judith E.,
Platt Alan F.,
Kinney Thomas R.,
Treadwell Marsha
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal for specialists in pediatric nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1744-6155
pISSN - 1539-0136
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-6155.1999.tb00036.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pain assessment , multidisciplinary approach , health care , disease , physical therapy , medline , nursing assessment , pain control , multidisciplinary team , nursing , family medicine , pain management , social science , surgery , pathology , sociology , economic growth , political science , law , economics
issues and purpose . Pain is the most frequent and important problem for children with sickle cell disease (SCD), but it has been undertreated and understudied. A multidisciplinary group of healthcare providers, academics, and people with SCD and their families met to (1) examine the pain of vaso‐occlusive events (VOE) in children and adults with SCD and (2) reach consensus about necessary improvements in care. conclusions . Accurate assessment of pain is at the crux of effective care for children with VOE. This requires a trusting interactive relationship among patient, family, and healthcare team. Comprehensive pain assessment is a lifelong process in need of continued updating. practice implications . Children with SCD seek treatment from nurses in many settings. Traditional care has been frustrating to both families and care providers. Children and adolescents with SCD pain would benefit from nursing care that considers patients' perspectives about pain and comfort as key determinants for treatment. A unified approach to pain assessment may be a significant factor in improving pain control.