75 Factors that Influence Parental Decision-making Regarding Analgesia for their Children with Musculoskeletal Injury-related Pain: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Abstract Background Parents/caregivers are often the gatekeepers for the pharmacologic management of their children’s pain. Parents’ unique expertise in assessing their children’s pain reactions, alongside a deep emotional drive to protect their children, make them invaluable advocates and partners. Parents are highly invested in optimizing pain management outcomes for children. Concerns and preferences regarding medications, including opioids, influence their choices. An improved understanding of caregiver decision-making should encourage a family-centred approach to communication with parents when deciding analgesic plans for children with acute pain, facilitate shared clinical decision-making, and optimize paediatric pain management outcomes in the clinical setting. Objectives Our primary objective was to explore and understand caregiver decision-making as it relates to acute pain management for children presenting to the emergency department, with particular focus on opioids. Design/Methods This qualitative study was embedded within an ongoing paediatric clinical trial (‘The No OUCH Trials’, NCT03767933), which aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of a combination of oral opioid (hydromorphone) and non-opioid (ibuprofen and acetaminophen) analgesics to manage paediatric musculoskeletal injury-related pain. This study employed one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Parents of children with acute musculoskeletal injuries were recruited from three Canadian paediatric emergency departments (Stollery Children’s Hospital [Edmonton, Alta.], CHU Sainte-Justine [Montreal, Qué.], and Winnipeg Children’s Hospital [Winnipeg, Man.]). Interviews were conducted via telephone from June 2019 to March 2021. Verbatim transcription and thematic analyses occurred concurrently with data collection, supporting data saturation and theory development considerations. Results Twenty-seven interviews were completed. Five major themes regarding pain assessment and treatment emerged: a) My child’s comfort is a priority; b) Every situation is unique; c) Opioids only if necessary; d) Considerations when choosing opioids; and e) Pain research is important. Overall, parents were highly comfortable with their assessment of their child’s pain. Participants’ willingness to use opioid analgesia for their children was primarily dependent on perceptions of injury and pain severity. Although considerations for opioid use were similar between opioid-averse and opioid-willing families, the trade-offs between maximizing pain relief and minimizing risks were weighed differently. Conclusion Our study revealed that parents assess their child’s pain and distress as a global entity, with great confidence in their own assessment and decision-making. For most parents, the desire to relieve their children’s pain outweighed concerns of addiction, misuse, and adverse events when making decisions about opioid analgesia for short-term use. These results can inform evidence-based family-centred approaches to co-decision-making of analgesic plans for children with acute pain.