CJEM
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Multicenter Study
Prevalence of pain-related presentations in Canadian pediatric emergency departments.
Pain is a common reason for attendance to the emergency department; however, pediatric specific data on the prevalence, location, and etiology of painful presentations are limited in the literature. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of pain-related presentations to pediatric emergency departments during the triage process and characterize the anatomical locations and organ systems most affected by pain in a modern cohort. ⋯ In this study, pain was identified in almost 60% of all pediatric emergency department presentations at the time of triage. Suboptimal documentation of pain scores and provision of analgesia at triage were found for children with pain. These results support early assessment and implementation of pain management strategies at triage. Results can also focus further research efforts to the management of the most commonly presenting types of pediatric pain.