Kennis, opvattingen en gedrag van ouders omtrent postoperatieve pijn na ambulante chirurgie bij kinderen

To explore different aspects of the knowledge, the perceptions and the management of postoperative pain following paediatric ambulatory surgery, questionnaires were collected from 60 parents following urological or ear, nose and throat (ENT) ambulatory surgery of their child (2-10 years old). Besides demographic characteristics, a checklist on the parental perception of pain expression and a questionnaire on the attitude towards medication were compiled. Parents also used a diary during the first 24 hours after surgery. Despite the increased pain scores, only a limited number of analgesics were administered (median number day 1 = 1.54) and only 76% of the children with a pain score > 4 received analgesics. A significant correlation (p < 0.05) between parental medication attitudes and the number of analgesics administered was documented (the more positive the parental attitude, the higher the number of analgesics). In addition, children received more analgesics following ENT as compared to urological surgery. Based on this questionnaire, it is concluded that parents recognise and are able to quantify pain in their child; this, however, does not necessarily result in an effective management of paediatric pain. These current observations confirm similar observations in other European countries and the US. Interventions to improve postoperative paediatric pain management at home have to focus on aspects of knowledge (e.g. the effects and the side effects of analgesics) as well as on attitudes (e.g. the use of a pain scale or pre-emptive analgesics).