Published: 7. June, 2025

When a child is in acute pain, minutes matter and so does the experience…

When a child is in acute pain, minutes matter and so does the experience of care.

A NIHR Open Research protocol (PANDA) is tackling an uncomfortable reality: despite best intentions, prehospital pain management for children is often ineffective. The protocol cites that in England:

  • ~450,000 children & young people are transported by ambulance to Emergency Department each year
  • ~20% experience acute pain
  • 61% don’t achieve effective pain relief prehospital (e.g., pain score reduction of ≥2/10)

Untreated acute pain in children can have lasting consequences (including altered pain perception, PTSD and chronic pain risk).

The PANDA team is running a realist review to understand what works, for whom, in what circumstances bringing together evidence and insights from clinicians, educators, leaders, and young people.

Read the full article here