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Pediatrics

Inadequate Pain Management in Children with Cancer

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A scoping review aims to map existing pain assessment tools for children with cancer, with a focus on pediatric cancer-related pain screening and assessment tools. Despite the availability of various pain assessment scales, few studies have summarized the existing assessment tools, making it challenging to select a suitable scale. The review will provide a comprehensive overview of pain assessment tools, enhancing pain management practices in children with cancer and informing healthcare providers, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

Key Takeaways:

  • The current state of pain management in children with cancer is inadequate due to poor pain assessment.
  • The scoping review aims to map existing pain assessment tools for children with cancer and provide a comprehensive overview of pediatric cancer-related pain screening and assessment tools.
  • The review will be conducted according to the guidelines by the Joanna Briggs Institute and reported following the PRISMA-ScR framework.
  • Electronic databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, CENTRAL, ICHUSHI, and Embase, will be searched to identify eligible studies without date or language restrictions.
  • The eligibility criteria were defined based on the PCC (Population, Concept, and Context) format.
  • The review will exclude studies that are protocols or conference abstracts.
  • The final report is planned for submission to a peer-reviewed journal in 2025.
  • The review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of pain assessment tools for infants, children, and adolescents with cancer.
  • The findings of the review will enhance pain management practices in children with cancer and inform healthcare providers, policy makers, and other stakeholders.
  • The scoping review is the first comprehensive effort to map existing tools on pediatric cancer-related pain assessment tools for infants, children, and adolescents aged 0-18 years.

Statistics:

  • 3748 articles were identified through electronic database searches on November 20, 2023.
  • The scoping review will provide a comprehensive overview of pain assessment tools for infants, children, and adolescents with cancer.
  • The review aims to enhance pain management practices in children with cancer and inform healthcare providers, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

Sources:

  • NewsRx. Institute of Clinical Epidemiology Reports Findings in Cancer (Pain Assessment Tools for Infants, Children, and Adolescents With Cancer: Protocol for a Scoping Review). Pediatrics Week. May 17, 2025; p 286.
  • JMIR Research Protocols. (2025). Pain Assessment Tools for Infants, Children, and Adolescents With Cancer: Protocol for a Scoping Review. 14.

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