Pain
Conditions
Keywords
pediatric pain, intervention sustainability
Brief summary
The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the effectiveness of short refresher sessions. Pain Practice Change Boosters given at regular intervals to sustain improved pain process (assessment and management) and clinical outcomes (pain intensity) achieved during a 15 month knowledge translation intervention, Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ), in 8 children's hospitals in Canada; and to determine the factors that affect that sustainability. The CIHR Team in Children's Pain (2006-2011) evaluated the effectiveness of the EPIQ intervention in 32 hospital units (4 units at each hospital site). 16 hospital units were allocated to the intervention group and 16 units continued with standard care. The current study focuses on the 16 hospital units that implemented the EPIQ intervention only.
Detailed description
This is an 8 hospital repeated measures Randomized Controlled Trial design using a centrally controlled cluster random allocation of units with stratification by hospital. The sample consisted of the 16 hospital units that implemented the EPIQ intervention in the CIHR Team in Children's Pain study. Randomization was restricted so there was one intervention unit and one standard care unit at each site. Outcomes were measured at 3 time points:12 months after the completion of the EPIQ intervention: Baseline (Time 1); 12 months following the implementation of the Booster intervention (Time 2); and 36 months following the implementation of the Booster intervention (Time 3), including the frequency and proportion of children receiving pain assessment and management strategies, children's pain intensity during painful procedures, and health care professionals' perceptions of the context of sustainability.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPain Practice Change Booster Intervention
See experimental arm for a description of the intervention
Sponsors
The Hospital for Sick Children
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Hospitals met the following inclusion criteria in at least four patient care units: * distinct geographic location and administrative structure; * minimum of 15 beds per unit; * care for children exposed to painful procedures for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes; and * implementation of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to manage pain. The 16 participating hospital units had implemented the EPIQ intervention in the CIHR Team in Children's Pain study. Patients in the participating hospital units were eligible to be included in the determination of the pain practice and clinical outcomes if they: * were between 32 weeks gestational age at birth and 18 years; * received skin breaking procedures; and * were admitted to the unit for \>24 hours. Surveys used to determine factors influencing sustainability were administered to health care professionals in all participating units, who had at least 1 year of professional experience, had worked on the unit for at least 6 months, and spoke English or French.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pain Process Outcomes (pain assessment) | T1 (Baseline) | Pain process outcomes included the proportion of children per unit whose pain was assessed and whether a validated pain measure was used. Data were collected from 30 patient charts on each unit for the previous 24 hours at 3 time points, using the Canadian Pediatric Pain Research (CPPR) database, which was used and validated in previous studies (Stevens, 2011, 2012, 2014). |
| Factors Influencing Sustainability: The Alberta Context Tool (ACT) | T1 (Baseline) | The Alberta Context Tool (ACT) (Estabrooks, 2011) was used to determine the factors that influence sustainability in each of the 16 participating hospital units, including organizational culture, leadership, readiness to change, organizational complexity, professional autonomy and support within the workplace. The ACT measures health care professionals' perceptions of these contextual factors at the unit and institutional levels. The tool was administered in survey form to staff on the participating units at 3 time points. |
| Pain Process Outcomes (pain management) | T1 (Baseline) | Pain process outcomes included the proportion of children per unit who had painful procedures: (i) without pain management interventions, (ii) with pharmacological interventions, and (iii) with non-pharmacological interventions (i.e., physical or psychological). Data were collected from 30 patient charts on each unit for the previous 24 hours at 3 time points, using the Canadian Pediatric Pain Research (CPPR) database, which was used and validated in previous studies (Stevens, 2011, 2012, 2014). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Pain Outcome: Pain Intensity | T1 (Baseline) | Pain intensity was measured through patient observation during routinely scheduled painful procedures at 3 time points, using one of four validated, age-appropriate measures: Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) (Stevens et al., 1996) Faces-Legs-Arms-Cry-Consolability Scale (FLACC) (Merkel et al., 1997), Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) (Hicks et al., 2001), and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) (Jensen et a., 1986). Data were collected by local pain experts, experienced pediatric clinicians, who were trained on the four measures to ensure accurate and standardized use. |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed