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Mothers’ experiences of managing their child's pain before and during attendance at the emergency department

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To explore mothers' experiences of managing their child's pain before and during attendance at the emergency department.


BACKGROUND
Pain accounts for 50%-80% of all visits to the emergency department. Historically paediatric pain has been poorly managed in the emergency department and there remains variability in practice. It is mothers who usually bring their child to the emergency department and as such it is important to explore their perspectives of how pain is managed.


DESIGN
Exploratory qualitative study.


METHODOLOGY
Semi-structured interviews were carried out with mothers (n = 10) of children who have attended the emergency department in one hospital in the East of England during April 2015.


RESULTS
Most mothers felt able to assess their child's pain and reported attending the emergency department when their normal pain-relieving strategies failed following an injury. Several mothers sought advice from elsewhere before bringing their child to the emergency department. The advice received was usually to take their child to the emergency department. Mothers welcomed the professional approach to pain management in the emergency department and valued being kept informed about their child's care. Mothers rated the care provided in the emergency department as good or very good.


CONCLUSIONS
Mothers attended the emergency department when their normal pain-relieving strategies failed. This suggests there is a need to provide additional resources to support parents in this context. Mothers often brought their child to the emergency department rather than their General Practitioner or other primary healthcare providers. The reasons for this need exploring further.


RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
The results suggest that mothers need additional resources to enable them to manage their child's pain at home following an injury. The reasons mothers attend the emergency department rather than other healthcare providers need exploring in more depth.