Psychiatric Assessment and Treatment of Pediatric Pain

TOPIC: The clinical nurse specialist's role as part of a multidisciplinary pain team in assessing and treating children with pain, and children with co-morbid pain and a psychiatric diagnosis. PURPOSE: To help nurse clinicians use relatively new assessment and treatment strategies in the arena of children's pain, gain a better understanding of pain's co-morbidity with psychiatric problems, and understand the nurse's important role in working with children with pain. SOURCES: Published literature: Pain assessment, theories of pain, psychiatric assessment, pain and psychiatric co-morbidity, treatment modalities for pain. A case study of a teenage girl with chronic pain and a psychiatric disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing interventions in pediatric pain assessment and treatment play a vital role in the child's and adolescent's physical and emotional rehabilitation from pain and psychiatric symptoms.