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Study finds many health care providers are ill-equipped to recognize pain in abused children
Many health-care professionals are ill-equipped to assess pain in children who have suffered abuse, a new study by McGill researchers suggests. This can lead to inadequate pain treatment, making the physical and emotional effects of abuse even worse.
"Our findings show a critical need for training programs for health-care providers about the effects of child maltreatment," said Matthew Baker, the study's lead author and a Ph.D. student in the School/Applied Child Psychology program at McGill.
The researchers surveyed 100 health-care providers in Canada and the United States, using an online questionnaire. They found only 13% had received training on child maltreatment and its effect on assessing pain in children with a history of abuse. Those who had received continuing education on child maltreatment were more likely to consider its impact on a child's pain reports and adapt their assessments accordingly.
"With so few providers trained, it's vital to raise awareness and improve education on how abused children present in health-care settings in order to enhance their treatment outcomes," Baker said.
The findings are published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
More information: Matthew Baker et al, An examination of questioning methods and the influence of child maltreatment on paediatric pain assessments: Perspectives of healthcare providers, Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice (2023). DOI: 10.1111/jep.13950
