Child maltreatment and pediatric pain: A survey of healthcare professionals’ pain knowledge and pain management techniques

Abstract

Children who have been maltreated are at an increased risk of having their pain under-recognized and undertreated by healthcare professionals, and thus, are more susceptible to adverse outcomes associated with undertreated pain. This study’s aims were to examine: (1) if healthcare professionals’ pediatric pain knowledge is associated with their pain assessment methods, (2) if maltreatment-specific pain knowledge is associated with consideration of child maltreatment when deciding on a pain management strategy, and (3) if pediatric pain knowledge would relate to maltreatment-specific pain knowledge. A sample (N = 108) of healthcare professionals responded to a survey designed to examine their current knowledge and utilization of pediatric pain assessment and management with emphasis on the effects of child maltreatment. Findings revealed healthcare professionals’ knowledge of pediatric pain is independent of their pain assessment and management practices. However, general pain knowledge was associated with maltreatment-specific pain knowledge and generally, healthcare professionals were knowledgeable of child maltreatment’s impact on pediatric pain. Participants who considered a history of maltreatment were also more likely to employ sensitive questioning strategies when asking children about their pain.