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Specializing in pain management

The Inpatient Pain Service is a dedicated team of clinicians who specialize in managing pain in infants, children, and young adults who are hospital inpatients. Surgeons and pediatricians are able to care for pain in many patients. However, in some cases, more specialized pain treatment is needed. Most of the patients we see have undergone surgery, but others have pain caused by illnesses such as cancer, sickle cell disease, arthritis, or many other medical conditions. The goal of the Inpatient Pain Service is to reduce pain safely and manage side effects of pain medications.

Our approach to acute pain

If your child is hospitalized or will undergo an operation, their care team can determine whether the Inpatient Pain Service might be helpful. A member of the Inpatient Pain Service team will evaluate your child and discuss various pain treatment options with you and your child.

We develop a personalized treatment plan for every patient we see, working closely with surgeons, pediatricians, nurses, child life specialists, psychologists, and physical and occupational therapists to manage your child's pain in the most effective way. Although it is not always possible to eliminate all pain, we manage pain so that patients can feel as comfortable as possible and sleep restfully at night.

There are several different options for pain control. The specific pain treatment plan will depend on a number of factors, such as your child's medical condition and the nature of their pain, and may include:

  • Patient- or nurse-controlled analgesia using opioids delivered intravenously (in the vein)
  • Peripheral nerve blocks
  • Epidural catheter
  • Topical analgesia
  • Complementary techniques such as acupuncture, Reiki, and massage

While your child is in the care of the Inpatient Pain Service, a member of our team will visit your child every day to make sure that pain is being managed to watch for side effects and answer any questions you or your child might have. Your child's nurse can reach us 24 hours a day, seven days a week.