Abstract

*Dr. U. M. Offiong MBBCh, FWACP

ABSTRACT

Background: Pain remains a common event in paediatric practice. Whether brought on by disease, injury or a necessary procedure, alleviation of pain in children remains a topical issue, an area of continuing research and debate on how and when this should be done. With very limited published data from Nigeria, this study aims to determine the beliefs and practices regarding analgesic use in paediatric pain management among child healthcare workers in Nigeria. Method: This was a prospective descriptive survey of doctors at a national paediatric conference. A 13-item self-administered questionnaire was used. One hundred and twenty questionnaires were distributed. Results: Seventy-seven (64.1%) questionnaires were returned. The respondents comprised of consultant paediatricians (41.5%), paediatric residents In training (45.5%), general practice doctors (9.1%). Acetaminophen was the commonest analgesic prescribed (97.5%) while painful crises of sickle cell disease was the commonest indication for analgesic prescription (83.1%). Reasons given for restricted use of analgesics included masking of symptoms (65 %), addiction (22.3 %), and analgesic abuse by parents (30 %). There were 55.8 % of respondents who agreed that paediatric pain should be treated with analgesics whenever it occurred. Conclusion: To improve the treatment of pain in children, there is a need for more training of paediatric health care workers in Nigeria.