Abstract
We examined nurses' assumptions concerning children and analgesia that have been hypothesized to explain the differential medication of postoperative child and adult patients. One hundred fourteen nurses from various pediatric and adult inpatient units of a large, urban teaching hospital were included in the study. A questionnaire consisting of four vignettes describing two hypothetical postoperative situations involving a child and adult patient, questions concerning choice of analgesic and assessment of pain for the hypothetical patients, and questions concerning the nurses' assumptions about children and analgesia was distributed to each nurse. The findings illustrate a pattern of differential medication of hypothetical child relative to hypothetical adult postoperative patients. The belief that children feel less pain than adults and concern about respiratory depression were associated with nurses' analgesia decisions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 47-59 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Children's Health Care |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 1993 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Cite this
Differential medication of child versus adult postoperative patients : the effect of nurses' assumptions. / Gonzalez, J. C.; Routh, D. K.; Daniel Armstrong, F.
In: Children's Health Care, Vol. 22, No. 1, 01.12.1993, p. 47-59.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Differential medication of child versus adult postoperative patients
T2 - the effect of nurses' assumptions.
AU - Gonzalez, J. C.
AU - Routh, D. K.
AU - Daniel Armstrong, F.
PY - 1993/12/1
Y1 - 1993/12/1
N2 - We examined nurses' assumptions concerning children and analgesia that have been hypothesized to explain the differential medication of postoperative child and adult patients. One hundred fourteen nurses from various pediatric and adult inpatient units of a large, urban teaching hospital were included in the study. A questionnaire consisting of four vignettes describing two hypothetical postoperative situations involving a child and adult patient, questions concerning choice of analgesic and assessment of pain for the hypothetical patients, and questions concerning the nurses' assumptions about children and analgesia was distributed to each nurse. The findings illustrate a pattern of differential medication of hypothetical child relative to hypothetical adult postoperative patients. The belief that children feel less pain than adults and concern about respiratory depression were associated with nurses' analgesia decisions.
AB - We examined nurses' assumptions concerning children and analgesia that have been hypothesized to explain the differential medication of postoperative child and adult patients. One hundred fourteen nurses from various pediatric and adult inpatient units of a large, urban teaching hospital were included in the study. A questionnaire consisting of four vignettes describing two hypothetical postoperative situations involving a child and adult patient, questions concerning choice of analgesic and assessment of pain for the hypothetical patients, and questions concerning the nurses' assumptions about children and analgesia was distributed to each nurse. The findings illustrate a pattern of differential medication of hypothetical child relative to hypothetical adult postoperative patients. The belief that children feel less pain than adults and concern about respiratory depression were associated with nurses' analgesia decisions.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0027897397&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 10125240
AN - SCOPUS:0027897397
VL - 22
SP - 47
EP - 59
JO - Children's Health Care
JF - Children's Health Care
SN - 0273-9615
IS - 1
ER -