NON - PHARMACOLOGICAL PAIN MANAGEMENT IN POSTOPERATIVE CARE OF SCHOOL - AGE CHILDREN

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate children‘s postoperative pain assessment and management methods applied in practice by nurses from Lithuania and Finland. Methods. Individual in - depth semi - structured interviews by non - probabilic snowball (network) and purposive sampling, data content analysis. 20 nurses in Lithuania and 5 nurses in Finland, who work at pediatric surgical and pediatric wards, where children after surgeries are treated. Results. The research has shown differences between postoperative school - age children‘s pain management practise by Lithuanian and Finnish nurses. Lithuanian nurses use smaller variety of these methods than nurses from Finland. All nurses agree that non - pharmacological children pain management is effective and useful. Conclusions. The usage of subjective and objective pain assessment methods by Finnish and Lithuanian nurses is similar, just Lithuanians mostly trust subjective verbal and objective behavioral, appearance pain assessment methods, whereas Finnish combine and use all the subjective pain assessment methods like verbal, parental assessment and using scales as well as objective behavioural assessment. There is a difference between pain management practise by Finnish and Lithuanian nurses. Finnish nurses evenly use all of non - pharmacological methods, whereas Lithuanian nurses mostly trust on physical and rehabilitation methods as well as communication.