Best Paper Award Bronze

Mrs. Priscilla Mawuli Ekpale

Theme of Conference:   Research, Technology and Innovation: The Bedrock for Global Development

Article Topic:   An Assessment of the Management of Post Operative Pain in Children Admitted to the Pediatric Surgery Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (Kbth)

Abstract:

The oxford dictionary defines pain as a “highly unpleasant physical sensation caused by illness or injury”. It is also defined by the International association of pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage”(Fisher, 2000). Now internationally it has been accepted that, pain should be expected, carefully and efficiently restricted in children irrespective of how old or mature they are and how severe their source of pain is considered to be (Fisher & Morton 1 998).

A number of researches have been done in the area of pediatric pain and this has led to an improvement in the understanding of pain in children by both their parents or guardians and their clinical health care team. This not withstanding there is still some amount of challenge with the evaluation of pain in children.

Even though internationally so many studies have been conducted in the area of pediatric pain assessment and management, in Ghana there has been little or no study conducted in this area. Even obtaining local information about the assessment of post operative pain in children was not fruitful. As a result one cannot prove that post operative pain in children in Ghana who undergo one surgery or another receives the best control therapy.

This study is to assess the management of post operative pain in children in the biggest tertiary hospital in Ghana and information gathered could inform further studies in this area that can help improve the care given to children when it comes to the management of their post operative pain.