The purpose of this study was to describe teachers experiences working with students in pain. In this study, pain was defined as a students experience of a physical hurt. Teachers perspectives of student pain in schools are important to study because pain is a common experience for children. Pain can decrease childrens school functioning and increase school absenteeism. The literature in the area of child pain in the school setting is limited; the current study aims to expand on the literature. Gaining teacher perspectives will create an understanding of the current situation and will reveal teachers needs and concerns surrounding student pain. Understanding teachers experiences will also help inform future research, such as the development of school-based pain programs and pain management inclusion in teacher training. Most children will experience some type of pain in school; therefore, it is beneficial for: (a) students to learn effective coping skills, (b) teachers to be knowledgeable about how to respond to pain, and (c) teachers and students to gain pain related information (e.g., what to expect in a hospital, the importance of pain as a warning sign). Pain can negatively impact school functioning and managing medical situations in adulthood. Therefore, teaching pain information and pain coping skills may prevent future pain issues.<p> The study involved two phases. The purpose of the first phase was to create a questionnaire that would elicit teachers experiences working with students in pain. Focus groups, made up of teacher participants, were used to create questionnaire items and to assess questionnaire content. During phase two the questionnaires were mailed out to 19 schools within three different school divisions in Saskatchewan. The divisions were located across central Saskatchewan. Of the 275 questionnaires mailed out, 121 were returned (44% response rate). The data showed that teachers work with students who experience pain from a number of different causes, the most common being colds and flus, headaches, temporary injuries, and abdominal pain. Most teachers stated that they know when a student is in pain because the student tells them, but half of the teachers also mentioned that they can see when a student is in pain. When responding to acute and chronic pain teachers take a number of different actions. When a student is experiencing acute pain the most common action teachers reported was to take steps (e.g., first aid) or use objects (e.g., ice pack) to treat the pain. In the case of chronic pain, the most reported response was to contact/communicate with parents. Teachers also provided a number of tips to effectively manage students pain at school, for example, allowing the student to rest, diverting the students attention, and providing support to the student. Finally, teachers described how pain impacts students at school. A number of consequences of pain were listed, with difficulty concentrating being the most prevalent. The limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed in relation to these findings.

The purpose of this study was to describe teachers experiences working with students in pain. In this study, pain was defined as a students experience of a physical hurt. Teachers perspectives of student pain in schools are important to study because pain is a common experience for children. Pain can decrease childrens school functioning and increase school absenteeism. The literature in the area of child pain in the school setting is limited; the current study aims to expand on the literature. Gaining teacher perspectives will create an understanding of the current situation and will reveal teachers needs and concerns surrounding student pain. Understanding teachers experiences will also help inform future research, such as the development of school-based pain programs and pain management inclusion in teacher training. Most children will experience some type of pain in school; therefore, it is beneficial for: (a) students to learn effective coping skills, (b) teachers to be knowledgeable about how to respond to pain, and (c) teachers and students to gain pain related information (e.g., what to expect in a hospital, the importance of pain as a warning sign). Pain can negatively impact school functioning and managing medical situations in adulthood. Therefore, teaching pain information and pain coping skills may prevent future pain issues.<p> The study involved two phases. The purpose of the first phase was to create a questionnaire that would elicit teachers experiences working with students in pain. Focus groups, made up of teacher participants, were used to create questionnaire items and to assess questionnaire content. During phase two the questionnaires were mailed out to 19 schools within three different school divisions in Saskatchewan. The divisions were located across central Saskatchewan. Of the 275 questionnaires mailed out, 121 were returned (44% response rate). The data showed that teachers work with students who experience pain from a number of different causes, the most common being colds and flus, headaches, temporary injuries, and abdominal pain. Most teachers stated that they know when a student is in pain because the student tells them, but half of the teachers also mentioned that they can see when a student is in pain. When responding to acute and chronic pain teachers take a number of different actions. When a student is experiencing acute pain the most common action teachers reported was to take steps (e.g., first aid) or use objects (e.g., ice pack) to treat the pain. In the case of chronic pain, the most reported response was to contact/communicate with parents. Teachers also provided a number of tips to effectively manage students pain at school, for example, allowing the student to rest, diverting the students attention, and providing support to the student. Finally, teachers described how pain impacts students at school. A number of consequences of pain were listed, with difficulty concentrating being the most prevalent. The limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed in relation to these findings.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Psychology)--Vanderbilt University, Dec. 2009. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

The diploma thesis entitled "Experience of children in assessment and treatment of pain in hospitalization at children's departments" deals with the topic of children's pain and its treatment. The issue is the main topic of the theoretical and practical part of the thesis and both of them focus on children at their pre-school and school age. The theoretical part of the thesis describes the current state of the issue, the psychology of a child at the pre-school and school age and also pain as such and its specifics in children. It is obvious that pain of a child is different not only in diagnostics and treatment. A child reacts differently also in experiencing pain, and also fables are often among people regarding pain that persist even these days. It is important to realize that a child is not a smaller adult, and that is why care for a child must be different. At the same time a child has to be taken as an integral human being who experiences pain and it always has to be assessed objectively according to scales and other objective methods selected according to the child's age. In this area, a big problem can be fables about children's pain that persist even in the current population. The research part of the thesis is aimed at interviews with children hospitalized at children's departments regarding their pain and also interviews with nurses. It compares information obtained from both groups of respondents and it looks for answers to questions of experiencing pain by a child, assessment by a nurse and treatment. It is apparent from the results of the research that children perceived differences in assessment and treatment of pain at home and in hospital, particularly in the change of the person that have to approach, and also in using non-pharmacological methods that are used more by mothers at home. This regards frequency and the way of pain assessment; children are not aware of regularity of assessment, they do not know the scales that the nurses mentioned as those that are used most often. Treatment of pain in hospitals is mostly pharmacological. But children do not always get the information about effect of a drug when it is administered to them. At the same time this part of the thesis looks for the possibilities and the need to create a standard for assessment and treatment of pain in children as well as the most important parts that the standards should contain. In this connection, a draft of the standard for nursing care of a child in pain was created within the thesis which makes up an appendix hereof.

For the nurse, taking care of hospitalized children is important not only pediatric nursing knowledge, personal and social preconditions, but also the theoretical and practical competency of methods and techniques, which are used for identification and effective influencing of pain and fear. The aim of this thesis was to identify the main sources of fear of the hospitalized preschool and young school age children and to find out the effective methods and principles of the cooperation with children, alternatively with their accompanying parents in order to moderate the fear of the small patient. Then the thesis tried to chart the nursing diagnostic and evaluation procedure of the pain and get the most used nursing methods of non-pharmacological pain relief. To obtain the necessary data, the qualitative research was used with a semi-structured interview as a research instrument. The first research group consisted of 12 nurses, the second group consisted of 12 children ´s patients of preschool and young school age. The majority of the asked nurses thinks, that children´s patients are afraid especially of non-familiar environment, then of the awaited pain and of the solitude without parents. However, the most patients said, that they were afraid especially of pain, then of non-familiar environment, restriction of their needs, hostile attitude of the medical staff and of the other neighbouring patients. They were also frightened of the death and of the darkness. Most reported nurses mean, that the most effective solution of the children ´s fear is the friendly attitude of the medics. They also mentioned the fact of taking the focus off the fear and the presence of the parents is also beneficial. The nurses ´ answers were in conformity with patients opinion in two fields - friendly attitude of the medics and taking the focus off the fear. Then the children mentioned abiding of their specifics in connection to falling asleep and the demand of beying treated by the same sister or by few same sisters. All respondents also talked about the benefit of parents presence. Regarding the principles of the cooperation, nurses answered the importance of united medical procedures, especially the proper way of information transfer. Then the respondents nurses mentioned the psychical and emotional support for children and their accompaniments, the atmosphere of confidence and the value of well done education. Also the need of calm, silence and privacy was stated. Unlike nurses, children and their parents regarding to principles of the cooperation prefer the psychical and emotional support, then the importance of enough information was mentioned. The fourth research question bears on the methods used for children pain monitoring. The nurses said, that the intentional interview with the patients or with the parents was used as a main technique, that was stated by patients as well. Research question number five said: What are the most used nursing methods of non-pharmacological pain relief at children? Most responded nurses mentioned the distraction of children attention from the painful incentive, then the importance of physical methods, relief position and purposeful preparation for the unpleasant intervention. Nurses also named the helpful contribution of the parents, relaxing exercises and the method of imagination. Regarding the pain treatment, it was noted, that all patients prefered the analgesic therapy. Then they quoted the distraction of their attention from the painful incentive, the friendly attitude of the medics, using the ice compress and the relief position. In the pain acute phase, children required mostly calm, comfort and privacy. All children also considered the presence of parents as very helpful. The theoretical and empirical part of the thesis are suitable for being studied by nurses taking care of children and it can be helpful for nursing quality improvement at children ´s wards in hospitals.