Pain at Home in Children following Major Surgery: Physical, Psychological, and Economic Consequences

Pain has long-term negative consequences for children. Early experiences with medical pain are related to a host of negative outcomes including heightened pain sensitivity, medical fears, and even avoidance of future health care. Pain in childhood may also lead to declines in learning ability and can affect physical and mental health and quality of life. For thousands of children across Canada each year, surgery is an excessively painful experience. Literature on minor surgery suggests that postoperative pain in children is not well managed, especially at home, where children often receive less than prescribed doses of analgesia and non-pharmacological strategies are underused. Children undergoing major surgery are at a particularly high risk of suffering significant pain because these procedures are typically highly invasive, cause significant tissue damage, and require long recovery periods at home. Literature from adult studies suggests that postoperative pain and associated physiological processes may interfere with physical recovery, return to function, quality of life, and may be associated with the development of chronic pain. Despite evidence from adult studies, there has been little research on postoperative pain in children following major surgery. In particular, there has not been systematic prospective research examining the severity, trajectory, and treatment of children's pain at home following major surgery. There has also been little research examining the physical, emotional, and economic consequences of children's postoperative pain. Thus, the purpose of this research is to examine the prevalence, treatment, and impact of postoperative pain following children's major surgery This project brings together a team of scientists and practitioners from psychology, surgery, anesthesia, nursing, and biostatistics who have the interests and skills to carry out the research and translate the knowledge gained.