A descriptive analysis of the pediatric pain management research

A meta-analysis was conducted to summarize the overall effect as well as scope of pediatric pain management research. The findings of this meta-analysis as related to effect size and methodologic characteristics are reported elsewhere. In describing the scope, the authors found that the majority of pediatric pain management research focused on the preparation of relatively well children for acute pain experiences of short duration. The interventions reported consisted of strategies that attempted to increase the cognitive, affective, and/or biophysical skills of the child experiencing pain. Behavioral, self-report, and physiologic measures were used to ascertain children's response to the painful experience.