Knowledge and Practices of Nurses / Midwives' about Pain Management in Children

Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the knowledge and practices of nurses/midwives' about pain management of children aged 0-6 years. Method: This descriptive study was conducted with 67 nurses/midwives working in family health centers of a province between May-July 2021. The data were collected with "Pain Management Applications in Children Evaluation Form" which created by the researchers, via online google forms . The obtained data were analyzed on the computer aided program with numbers and percentages. Results: 49.3% of the nurses/midwives stated that they considered pain as a vital sign, 34.3% them stated that they found themselves competent in pain management, and 79.1% stated that they needed training on pain. 86.6% of the nurses reported that they decided on the child's pain based on behavior, and 58.2% decided on the child's verbal expression. Almost all of the nurses/midwives reported that non-pharmacological methods were effective in pain management. More than half of the nurses/ midwives stated that they used distraction metod in the first place in the management of pain of children aged 0-6. Conclusion: It was observed that nurses/midwives need information about pain management in children aged 0-6 years. Again, it was seen that nurses used distraction metod in the first place in pain management from non-pharmacological methods .