Perceptions of Procedural Pain: Parents, Nurses, and Children

The study’s purpose was to determine if children, their parents, and their nurses differ in their perception of pain associated with health care procedures A convenience sample of 40 subjects was obtained in a pediatric clinic The subjects were triads of a child, the child's parent, and the nurse The study utilized an exploratory design Self-reports of pain were measured using the Oucher scale Data were collected during a routine physical examination that included an immunization Subjects rated the child's perceived pain after the immunization No significant differences were found between the child's and the parent s scores A significant difference was found between the child s and nurse's score (p= 0084) Initial findings suggest that there are differences in pain perception between nurses and children.