Challenges of judging pain in vulnerable infants
Section snippets
The sociocommunication model of pain
Optimal pain control requires an understanding not only of infant pain and the behaviors capable of communicating this distress, but also how observers, parents or nurses for example, attend to and interpret the infant's reactions and decide to use appropriate interventions for the child. The sociocommunication model of pain [9], [10] (Fig. 1) recognizes this complex sequence of interdependent events.
Summary
The inevitability of pain during infancy and its potential for destructive impact impose a burden on caregiving adults. An armamentarium of effective pharmacological, behavioral and environmental interventions is available if pain were recognized and accurately assessed. Infants have limited behavioral repertoires that make identification of specific needs difficult, mothers and other caregivers prone to high levels of protection and redundant care. But more specific care can best suit infant
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2018, Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological PsychiatryCitation Excerpt :As a result, we have separated the experience of pain from pain reporting and expression in the model (Fig. 1). This should not be taken to suggest that inability to verbally or behaviorally express pain means pain is not experienced (Craig et al., 2002; Melzack, 1999). It means rather that we must be cautious in our interpretation of findings based on the currently available pain tools, and it highlights the urgent need for innovative assessment strategies that accommodate the unique cognitive and behavioral profiles of this group.
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2013, Newborn and Infant Nursing ReviewsCitation Excerpt :Studies note that while nurses acknowledge that infants experience pain and are familiar with pain assessment tools they may not have adequate knowledge regarding the expression of pain not are assessments routinely used.68–71 As a result pain management remains unsystematic and capricious.45–50 This is especially true in NICUs of less developed countries.