2.1 The stress of managing children’s pain

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Feeling helpless

Being asked for pain relief or caring for a child in pain, and not be able to relieve that pain, could lead to issues negatively affecting their relationship with parents: ‘Parents lose confidence if their child is left in pain.’

Losing confidence

Having a parent lose confidence in the nurse caring for their child was reported as stressful for nurses: ‘Staff get stressed when they look powerless in front of patients and relatives.’

Feeling frustrated

Frustration was also expressed in stating that there was: ‘No time to spend time with the child and families. No time to listen.’

Proposing solutions

On the other hand a potential solution was suggested as: ‘Being there, being approachable.’ This is an interesting finding which hints that practitioners are not always approachable, which would deter parents calling on them to help manage their child’s pain.

Being informed

Most participants talked of the importance of keeping children and their families informed, as this could help mitigate stress for parents and children related to pain management: ‘discussing with the families ahead of a painful episode and letting them know what to expect … people available … people assessing the pain management, and … make adjustments if required.’