Promoting Paediatric Pain Management

Thank you all for your ongoing support to promote paediatric pain management. A lot has been happening in the last couple of months here at the International Children's Palliative Care Network as we continue to try and increase access to pain management for children around the world. In our last report we said that we are upgrading our elearning platform so that access and user experience is improved and more people will be able to access training on pain assessment and management in a variety of Languages. We are delighted that this upgrade is in progress and our training on pain assessment and management can also now be accessed through the moodle App on mobile phones and tablets. 

Meanwhile we continue to promote the use of our pain app for children. Downloadable on both apple and android devices we hope that the app will provide an easily accessible, digital child-friendly tool that allows the child to accurately rate and record the location, level, type and intensity of their pain. As ICPCN we are working on a project called MyPal part of which is looking at using technology for measuring outcomes, including pain, in children with cancer. It has been interesting to see how our App fits in with this, and the utilisation of technology for managing and assessing pain. The MyPal study is still in its early stages but we will keep you abreast with progress.

Our team continue to share about the Pain App at every opportunity, recently one participant at a workshop said how helpful they had found using the App and they hope that it will continue to be available to children, their families and health professionals around the world.  We hope that the App is being used to enable children and young people to remain pain free during this holiday season.

Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year

Thank you all for your ongoing support to promote paediatric pain management. A lot has been happening in the last couple of months here at the International Children's Palliative Care Network as we continue to try and increase access to pain management for children around the world. 68 people from more than 25 countries have accessed our elearning programme in English on Pain Assessment and Management, undertaking assignments and reflective accounts, looking at how they assess and manage children's pain, what they can do differently, and how they can advocate at their work places for access to analgesics and individuals trained on paediatric pain management in children, adolescents and young people with palliative care needs. Our education officer Alex is busy responding to all of their assignments and reflective accounts, giving feedback and helping them to maximise their learnig exeprience. 

Meanwhile we continue to promote the use of our pain app for children. Downloadable on both apple and android devices we hope that the app will provide an easily accessible, digital child-friendly tool that allows the child to accurately rate and record the location, level, type and intensity of their pain. Utilising validated pain scales, children are able to record their pain score and take a record of this to their doctors thus enhancing their doctors ability to adjust their medicines appropriately and control their pain.

Our Chief Executive shared about our pain App yesterday at the 6th African Palliative Care Conference in Kigali, Rwanda. Whilst presenting she noted that it is a valuable tool for all ages, and that children and adolescents are able to individualise it, chosing their own avatar. She also shared the experience of one young lady of using the App and how it has helped her and finds it user friendly and easy to use. In discussion with some of the participants at the conference after her talk,  there was a feeling of excitement as to how the App can be used, with several participants having already downloaded the App.

We are busy upgrading our elearning platform so that access and user experience is imporeved and more people will be able to access training on pain assessment and management in a variety of languages. We look forward to updating your further in our next report.