Pain Assessment and Management in Children at Lusaka Children's Hospital: Nurses' Experiences - A Qualitative Study

Pediatric pain management is crucial for child health, particularly in low-resource settings. This qualitative study explores nurses' experiences and perspectives regarding pain assessment and management in children at Lusaka Children's Hospital. The research used a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, incorporating questionnaires, focus group discussions, and case file reviews. Content analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data, revealing themes related to nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices in pain management. The findings highlight the lack of trust in patient and parent proxy reports of pain, limited family involvement in pain management, nurses' knowledge gaps, and barriers to pain assessment. The study emphasizes the need for enhancing nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices to improve pain management in pediatric patients. This report is part of the mixed-methods study conducted.