Pain Perceptions and Attitudes of Parents of Pediatric Age Group Patients Attending Emergency Departments in Saudi Arabia

TL;DR

This study explores how parents in Saudi Arabia perceive and manage their children's pain in emergency departments, finding high awareness of pain's harms but some misconceptions about medication.

Contribution

The study provides insights into parental perceptions and attitudes toward pediatric pain management in Saudi Arabia using a hospital-based survey.

Findings

Most parents recognized the physical and psychological harms of untreated pain in children.

Parents showed positive attitudes but considerable uncertainty in managing pain, as indicated by Likert scale results.

No significant sociodemographic associations were found with pain perception or attitudes.

Abstract

Background

Pain is the most common symptom in emergency departments and remains one of the most challenging issues for emergency care providers, especially when treating children. A family system's theoretical framework helps in understanding the development and maintenance of pain and in determining the best approaches to treating children with pain.

Objective

The objective of the study was to evaluate parental perception and attitude towards their children's acute pain and pain management, explore potential sociodemographic determinants, enhance parents' awareness and knowledge regarding pain, and provide them with practical strategies and skills to cope with pain effectively.

Methods

This prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional hospital-based study included 336 parents attending pediatric departments at the National Guard Hospital (NGHA) whose children had suffered from acute pain.

Results

Of the 336 parents/caregivers, 76.5% were female and 23.5% were male (n=257, n=79), with the most common age group being 30-39 years (n=141, 41.96%). Children showed a slight male dominance (n=188, 56%), with the majority being under three years old (n=184, 54.76%). Parents demonstrated high levels of perception regarding the potential harms of untreated pain, with 92.6% (n=311) believing it can lead to physical harm and 90.5% (n=304) believing it can lead to psychological harm. Regarding parents' attitudes, although they showed positive attitudes, Likert scale results suggested considerable uncertainty among participants. No significant associations were found between perception or attitudes about the potential harms of untreated pain and sociodemographic characteristics (p-value > 0.05 for both).

Conclusion

While pediatric pain assessment is challenging, it is crucial for parents to accurately and efficiently assess and manage their child's pain at home. Most parents demonstrate sufficient awareness of the potential harms associated with untreated pain. However, a significant proportion hold misconceptions about pharmacologic pain management due to fears of side effects.

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