The Ripple Effect: Systems-Level Interventions to Ameliorate Pediatric Pain

Abstract

SUMMARY The focus of this brief review is to highlight to the reader some of the ‘ripple effects‘ of broader systems-level healthcare issues and the implications they may have for effective treatment of pediatric chronic pain. Many healthcare providers focus almost exclusively on the patient, but lack the knowledge of how to intervene effectively at systems levels with families, schools and healthcare institutions surrounding the pediatric patient with pain. We provide a case example and consider this issue across three systems that are particularly relevant to pediatric pain management: the outpatient pain clinic, school and inpatient settings. The information presented will improve the healthcare provider‘s ability to effectively treat pediatric pain through an enhanced understanding of the multiple systems of care that surround children with pain.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This manuscript was based on collaborative activity generated through a symposium presentation that was part of the 31st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society. Each author received a nominal honorarium to support their attendance at this conference, but not for generation of this manuscript. JW Guite‘s effort was supported in part by grant number R03HD054596 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and an award from the Foerderer Fund for Excellence at The Children‘s Hospital of Philadelphia. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NICHD or NIH or The Children‘s Hospital of Philadelphia. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was based on collaborative activity generated through a symposium presentation that was part of the 31st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society. Each author received a nominal honorarium to support their attendance at this conference, but not for generation of this manuscript. JW Guite‘s effort was supported in part by grant number R03HD054596 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and an award from the Foerderer Fund for Excellence at The Children‘s Hospital of Philadelphia. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NICHD or NIH or The Children‘s Hospital of Philadelphia. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.