Balancing Knowledge Among Resident Specialties: Lecture-Based Training and the OUCH Card to Treat Children's Pain

Abstract

There are unique concerns for residents and fellows treating hospitalized children in pain. Some children cannot necessarily communicate their pain, 1,2 and the dosages for children differ dramatically by age and weight.3 Finally, because of a fear of adverse effects, the undertreatment of pain (ie, giving too little medicine) has been reported. 4,5 Lapses in the treatment of children's pain have been attributed, in part, to the following: systematic and logistical barriers within institutions providing pediatric care, 6 knowledge-based barriers including insufficient knowledge of pain assessment and treatment in children, 7 and inadequate pediatric pain management (PPM) educational requirements for residency programs.8 These inadequacies have also been shown to be widespread across a variety of pediatric settings such as cardiac surgery, AbstractBackground There are well-established deficiencies in residents' knowledge of acute-pain assessment and treatment in hospitalized children.

Reducing Opioid Misuse among Adolescents through Physician Education

“…Notably, pediatric residents and attending physicians have noted the need for increased training in pediatric pain management. 14 Siegler et al found that residents were more likely than more experienced physicians to overprescribe opioids in order relieve a patient's pain. 15 The American Academy of Pediatrics, in partnership with the Providers' Clinical Support System for Opioid Therapies, provides access to training and mentoring in adolescent opioid use.…”

Development and Validation of Pediatric Opioid Analgesia Self-Instruction System (PedOASIS): An Opioid Knowledge Tool for Pediatric Clinicians

“…[11][12][13] Most of these curricula exclude specific instruction in pain control and focus on opioid abuse rather than on appropriate dosing and management of opioids to treat pain. Few published interventions specifically address pain management in children, [14][15][16][17][18] and most require attendance at real-time lectures or workshops. The ongoing opioid epidemic may further limit attention to, and education of trainees in, treating pain.…”