Intensity, Location, and
Quality of Pain in Spanish-Speaking Children with Cancer
Eufemia Jacob
Kathy S. McCarthy
Gennaro Sambuco
Marilyn Hockenberry
Spanish
speaking children with cancer were asked to describe their pain during
the previous week prior to an oncology clinic appointment. Data showed
that 41% of the children were experiencing pain and the overall mean
pain intensity rating among these children was 5.7 ± 2.7. Among
those children with moderate to severe pain, the most frequently marked
locations on the body outline diagram was the abdomen (53.8%), lower
back (46.2%), and upper chest (30.8%). The higher percentage of
children complaining of abdominal pain may be attributed to the high
percentage (63.6%) of children reporting oral chemotherapy at home.
Some children experienced pain that was unrecognized and undetected,
and therefore were not receiving medications. To minimize the risk of
under-treatment of pain, children and parents may be taught to use the
Spanish version of the Adolescent Pediatric Pain Tool to communicate
the child’s pain to clinicians.
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