Table 1.
The characteristics of all included studies.
| Author | Year | Type of study | Sample size | Study purpose | Major findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baroni et al. (8) |
2023 | Clinical study | 31 patients | To assess the correlation between children’s pain levels and patient characteristics (age, sex, history of dental pain), sedation type (level of sedation, sedative regimen), nociception and pain intensity described by the parents in sedated children experiencing minimally invasive dental surgery. | Pain was usually low and more prominent with minimal sedation and higher nociception. |
| Kamki et al. (9) |
2022 | Observational study | 42 patients | To evaluate the validity of the graphics interchange format (GIF) as a self-reporting pain assessment tool in pediatric patients. | Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBFPRS) and GIF pain scales showed significant variations when scales were compared to the real pain intensity felt by the patient. The GIF pain scale is a very promising assessment tool for children. |
| de Jong et al. (10) |
2005 | Observational study | 73 burn care nurses rated pain from 24 fragments of videotaped children during wound care procedures. | To assess if the pain observation scale for young children (POCIS) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) are reliable and valid tools to measure procedural and background pain in burned children aged 0-4 years. | The POCIS has shown poor to moderate inter-rater reliability, moderate to good intra-rater reliability and an acceptable internal consistency. The VAS turned out to have poor inter-rater reliability and poor to moderate intra-rater reliability. Because of poor results of inter-rater reliability in both scales, validation is left undone until more acceptable data are obtained. |
| Marseglia et al. (11) |
2019 | Cross-sectional study based on a 17-questions survey accessible online | 929 pediatricians presented 6335 cases uniformly distributed across the types examined | To examine the attitude of Italian family pediatricians towards the assessment and treatment of different types of acute pain in children aged 7–12 years. | Several mismatches occur between the current practice of pain assessment and treatment and recommendations. Further attempts are needed to raise awareness and improve education on the possible exposure of children to short- and long-term consequences in case of inappropriate pain management. |
| Lence et al. (15) |
2023 | Prospective cohort study | 165 patients | To understand: the postoperative pain levels experienced by pediatric urology patients, the factors that correlate with postoperative pain and the number of opioids consumed following pediatric urologic procedures. | The level of pain and opioid use varies by procedure type but that number of narcotics prescribed significantly exceeds number needed. |
| Kinoshita et al. (24) |
2023 | Systematic review | 331 patients | To assess the benefits and harms of systemic opioid analgesics in neonates who underwent surgery on all-cause mortality, pain, and significant neurodevelopmental disability compared to no intervention, placebo, non-pharmacological interventions, different types of opioids or other drugs. | Limited evidence is available on opioid administration for postoperative pain in newborns compared to either placebo, other opioids or paracetamol. |
| Ruggiero et al. (26) |
2007 | Prospective clinical study | 18 patients | To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fentanyl administered by Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) in children with cancer pain. | All children experienced a good degree of analgesia and did not require any other analgesic drug during the treatment. Both subjective and objective parameters improved after starting pain-relieving treatment and no major side effects occurred. |
| Arafa et al. (27) |
2022 | Prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial | 105 patients | To evaluate postoperative analgesia of quadratus lomborum block in pediatric patients undergoing renal surgeries by the addition of dexamethasone to bupivacaine compared to intravenous administration. | Dexamethasone may be more efficient when added to bupivacaine than when given systemically in analgesic effects. Dexamethasone as an adjuvant to bupivacaine has a significant effect on prolongation of the postoperative duration of analgesia, less request for rescue analgesia and fewer side effects as compared to bupivacaine if used as a sole agent. |
| Merry-Sperry et al. (29) |
2022 | Prospective, single-blinded, randomized-controlled crossover trial | 10 patients | To compare lidocaine injection versus EMLA cream for local site analgesia in serial lumbar puncture procedures. | Both lidocaine injection and EMLA cream provide effective pain control post-lumbar puncture in pediatric oncology patients. |
| Hohl et al. (30) |
2013 | Retrospective chart review | 18 patients | To evaluate the efficacy, dose and safety of methotrimeprazine in palliating end-of-life symptoms in children and infants. | Methotrimeprazine appears to be an effective tool in treating complicated end-of-life symptoms in pediatric patients. |