Pain measurement in pediatric cancer patients: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Background: The experience of pain has physical, cognitive, affective and behavioral manifestations; however, its evaluation is usually oriented to aspects such as intensity and location, leaving out other equally relevant attributes. Its evaluation is a complex task because of its nature and the few tools to make assessments, especially in the cancer population. Objective: To carry out a systematic review to identify the different ways of evaluating chronic/oncological pain in patients under 18 years of age. Material and methods: Following the PRISMA method (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), the search was carried out in three databases. Results: 27 articles were analyzed. The most used instruments evaluate various aspects in the sensory/discriminative dimension, especially co-administered and, to a lesser extent, the others. Discussion: There is a need for instruments that evaluate the entire subjective experience of pain, considering their technological development convenient to improve the opportunity to access medical care.