Pain management in pediatrics – the OPBG experience

IntroductionSometimes it is not the disease from which the child is suffering that is the main source of pain but rather our diagnostic and care procedures. In fact, nursing care as well as surgical and pharmacological treatment may produce not only physical pain but also mental discomfort; this mental discomfort can be sometimes a poor or a lack of pain assessment and control.ObjectiveThis article remarks on the “Pain-free hospital” international project and explains the process of starting up and adherence of our Hospital, aiming at illustrating chosen strategies and tools for pain assessment and control.ConclusionWe discuss some considerations to underline how common strategies for guidelines creation can make hospitalisation and nursing medical care as less traumatic as possible for the child.