Dubai Health Authority-run Latifa Hospital has recently implemented a state-of-the-art technique known as nurse controlled analgesia to effectively manage pain in paediatric surgical cases.

Nurse-controlled analgesia is a technique that is most commonly used to treat post-operative surgical pain but can also be effectively used to treat non-surgical pain such as sickle cell crisis, pancreatitis , cancer related pain and burns.

The technique is a demand led alternative method of pain control by which nurses give a pre-programmed amount of intravenous opioid after a set period. This method is used effectively to control pain in children who are too young and is highly effective in such cases as compared with other existing modalities of pain management.

In this technique, patients receive a continuous infusion of the analgesic drug, which the nurse administers by pressing a button at a programmed lock out interval.

At Latifa Hospital, it is being used in the paediatric surgical ward.

Dr Nadine Borhan, head of anaesthesia at Latifa Hospital, said: “We are very pleased with the results. This technique is a very effective and safe method of providing post-operative pain control in children who have undergone major surgery. Parents are also highly impressed and satisfied by this method of pain control for their children.”

“This technique reduces complications of pain like hypertension, psychological distress and electrolyte imbalance. It is highly effective and leads to reduced ICU admission for pain management and better wound healing.

“When administered under close monitoring by competent heath care personnel, this method is very safe, convenient and effective in controlling pain as the plasma level of the drug is kept constant by the background infusion and any break through pain is treated by doses of the prescribed intravenous opioid given by the nurse at specified lock out intervals,” Dr Borhan added.

Ayeda Salim Abou Niaj, director of nursing at Latifa Hospital, said: “Nurses at Latifa Hospital who use this technique underwent a series of training programs. After the training program they were re-assessed to check their competency and the hospital has prepared a competency assessment tool for the nursing staff.”

Aboud Niaj added that the patient and family are assessed individually for their suitability for this technique and the pain management is discussed with parents pre- operatively.

“The starting of the pump is done by the anaesthetist and the nursing staff in the operation theatre recovery room and is continued in the ward by the competent ward nurse. The patient is continuously monitored for the vital signs. The pumps have safety features like safety locks and can be programmed according to individual needs of the patient.  Moreover, pain score and sedation scores are assessed before and after administering the doses,” Abou Niaj said. – TradeArabia News Service