Pain assessment and management was a cultural challenge for the organization and the Gulf region. In the Middle East, pain in children is not well recognized. Pain in children is underestimated by clinicians, and was not assessed or managed using evidence-based practice.
The Pediatric Pain Education Program was offered to all HMC healthcare providers working with children. Staff were invited through the Heads of Department who supported their teams to register via email to the HMC/SickKids Partnership Project Management Team. A total of 353 HMC inter-professional staff have completed the Pediatric Pain Education Program.
The module content was developed by the SickKids Pain Team, which comprised of a multi-disciplinary team, including a clinical educator, pediatric anesthesiologists and pain consultants, acute pain nurses, physiotherapist and child life specialists with expertise in acute and chronic pediatric pain. The program provided a two-module curriculum. The modules incorporated interactive sessions and small group format (40 participants for lectures, 20 for workshops). Each module was one day (6.5 hours) and consisted of a combination of lectures, interactive forum discussions and workshops. The education program brought together members of the multi-disciplinary team and reinforced the importance of a team approach to pediatric pain management.
The Pediatric Pain Awareness campaign was the first in the Gulf region to focus on promoting pain awareness. Various forms of media were used, including corporate designed posters, internet website announcements, press releases and radio and television interviews, which attracted national public attention to the various aspects of pediatric pain assessment and treatment. It was a week of outreach events for patients and families with the specific objectives to:
- Raise awareness regarding pain in infants, children and adolescents
- Provide formal inter-professional education to HMC healthcare providers who work with infants, children and adolescents
- Provide education to children and their families regarding pain management
Patient and family education regarding pain management strategies was delivered by the HMC Pediatric Pain Task Force members and other HMC staff, including nurses, physicians and allied health professionals from Hamad General Hospital and Rumailah Hospital, with support from the SickKids Pain Team. Education was delivered in English and Arabic and each visitor received the HMC Pediatric Pain Patient Handbook and a gift bag which contained toys and other items that could be used for distraction interventions during painful procedures. Delivery of these tools to patients and families by HMC staff demonstrated the potential for HMC to sustain improved pain assessment and management practices. Over 1,000 visitors attended the booths and feedback was provided directly to the HMC/SickKids Partnership Pain Task Force by completing the feedback survey. The HMC staff who participated in leading, organizing and facilitating the event demonstrated abilities in patient and family engagement, and for starting the trend toward advocating for improved pain management in infants, children and adolescents.
The 1st Pediatric Pain Awareness Symposium was held on 29 November 2012. The program was collaboratively developed by the HMC/SickKids Pediatric Pain Task Force and the SickKids Pain Team. HMC staff were invited to a ‘Call for Speakers’, which engaged HMC staff to participate in disseminating knowledge about concepts related to pain in children relevant to the cultural context of Qatar and current issues for pain management in children at HMC.
The symposium was the highlight of the Pediatric Pain Awareness Month and was attended by 300 HMC staff. The Hajar Auditorium was filled to capacity, demonstrating the interest and enthusiasm of all healthcare providers at HMC in the pursuit to enhance the current approach to assessing and treating pain in children. The remarks post the event indicated that continuing education related to pediatric assessment and management is needed and this will continue to be a priority for HMC.
