PURPOSE This study was an in-depth examination of pediatric postoperative pain care practices on one unit in a Canadian tertiary children’s hospital. More specifi- callythestudysetoutto(a)determineiftherewasa pattern of pain care on the unit, (b) examine the actions taken by nurses when a pain score of 5 or greater was recorded, and (c) examine the relation- ship between recorded pain scores and the pain medications administered.
METHODS
Design Observationallowsafirsthandaccountofbehaviors, events, actions, and interactions (Hennink, Hutter, &Bailey,2011).Inthisstudyparticipantobservation was used to gain an in-depth picture of postopera-