Table 3.
Parent Responses to Home Interview Questions
| Yes | No | Unsure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % (n) | % (n) | % (n) | |
| Did your child have more pain after his/her surgery than you expected? | 23.4% (11) | 74.5% (35) | 2.1% (1) |
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| Did you feel adequately prepared to manage your child’s pain at home after surgery? | 93.6% (44) | 6.45 (3) | 0% (0) |
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| Do you think that the pain medicine helped your child? | 95.7% (45) | 4.3% (1) | 0% (0) |
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| |||
| Do you think your child’s pain management could have been improved? | 4.3% (2) | 0% (0) | 14.9% (7) |
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| |||
| % (n) | |||
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| |||
| How did things go in terms of giving the pain medicine every 4 hours for the past three days? | |||
| No concerns identified (fine, good, pretty good) | 61.7% (29) | ||
| Pain medicine tasted bad | 25.5% (12) | ||
| Concerns regarding nighttime administration of pain medicine | 23.4% (11) | ||
| Difficulties getting the child to take the pain medicine | 8.5% (4) | ||
| Concerns regarding the timing, frequency of pain medication | 4.3% (2) | ||
| Painful swallowing | 2.1% (1) | ||
| Side effects (e.g., nausea, constipation) | 2.1% (1) | ||
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| Parental concerns about giving the pain medicine | |||
| No concerns identified | 57.4% (27) | ||
| Side effects (groggy, drowsy, sleepy, nausea) | 31.9% (15) | ||
| Amount of medicine (too much, too strong) | 17.0% (8) | ||
| Timing of medication administration (too frequent, for too long and pain not present) | 4.3% (2) | ||
| Addiction | 4.3% (2) | ||
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| |||
| Usefulness of the home log | |||
| Helpful, keeping track, knowing what to do | 68.1% (32) | ||
| Helpful, awareness of their child’s symptoms | 12.8% (6) | ||
| Helpful, knowing how their child was feeling | 5.1% (2) | ||
| Not helpful | 8.5% (4) | ||
| No response | 6.4% (3) | ||
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| |||
| Usefulness of the nurse’s phone calls | |||
| Helpful in managing problems | 42.6% (20) | ||
| Helpful, knowing that someone cared | 38.3% (18) | ||
| Helpful, no qualifying response | 19.1% (9) | ||
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| Usefulness of the teaching booklet | |||
| Helpful in managing their child’s pain | 83% (39) | ||
| Knowing what to do, validation | 55.3% (26) | ||
| Knowing what to expect | 27.7% (13) | ||
| Did not use | 14.9% (7) | ||
| Did not find it helpful | 2.1% (1) | ||
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| Other than giving the pain medicine, parent strategies to help their child feel better | |||
| Comfort measures (being with the child, holding them, loving them, catering to their wishes, giving them attention) | 75% (35) | ||
| Cold things by mouth | 44.7% (21) | ||
| Providing distraction (watching TV, reading books, playing with the child) | 27.7% (13) | ||
| Giving fluids | 14.9% (7) | ||
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| Suggestions to help other parents caring for a child after tonsillectomy | |||
| Give the pain medicine as ordered | 61.7% (29) | ||
| Comfort measures (catering to the child, comforting them, baby them, physical attention, lots of love) | 23.4% (11) | ||
| Patience, empathy | 10.6% (5) | ||
| Be prepared, know what to expect | 10.6% (5) | ||
| Cold things by mouth | 8.5% (4) | ||
| Take time off work, be there for the child | 4.3% (2) | ||
| Provide diversion, distraction for the child | 4.3% (2) | ||
| Suggestions for food choices offered | 4.3% (2) | ||
| Use the teaching booklet | 4.3% (2) | ||
| Use the home log | 2.1% (1) | ||
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| Mean (SD) (n=47) | |||
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| |||
| Parent satisfaction with pain relief provided by the pain medicine (0=completely dissatisfied, 10=completely satisfied) | 9.62 (0.86) | ||
Note: Parents provided more than one response for some questions