Research shows that individual pain risk isn’t adequately communicated to families of pediatric patients. Long-term pain following surgery can impact children’s quality of life and lead to increased use of pain medication, reduced trust in the healthcare system and frequent hospital visits. The BC Children’s Hospital found that while physicians often discuss post-surgical pain with family members, the information shared is sometimes not specific enough to each child and may not be retained when conveyed verbally in one sitting. Its researchers defined the requirements and features needed to develop a pediatric pain risk communication tool prototype. Its next step is to recruit healthcare workers and families to assist in the co-design and testing of the pediatric pain risk communication tool prototype.
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