Pain Management course for Nurses

This is the second of two sessions on childhood pain management. It covers the non-pharmacological and pharmacological management of pain, including the initiation, titration and maintenance of regular opioids, and drug changes when required.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• List the three groups of non-pharmacological pain relief measures
• Describe the WHO 'ladder' stepwise approach to pain management
• Describe the three stages of good pain management
• State the adjuvant therapies used for different types of pain
• State the side effects of opiates

Pain is a highly unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Its detection, assessment and management are imperative to improving the quality of life for children and their families.