A Grounded Theory Study o f Pain Management Behaviors in Nurses Caring for Preverbal Children

Abstract

A qualitative study using the grounded theory method was used to explore factors that affect nurses’ pain management decision-making when caring for children between the ages o f 0 and 3 years. This study was approved by the Human Assurance Committee at Medical College o f Georgia prior to the collection of data. The sample consisted of eleven nurses who were employed at three different hospitals in the southeastern part of the United States. Theoretical sampling was the basis for the selection o f participants after the first two interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and were subjected to open and axial coding. The constant comparative method was used during data analysis to identify a core category and related concepts. The basic social process that emerged is engaging in tactics o f pain management. This process contained two other processes: assessing fo r pain and managing a pain episode. Intrinsic factors that affected assessing fo r pain included knowing the territory, personal attributes o f the registered nurse (RN), being a parent, and being connected. Extrinsic factors that affected engaging in tactics o f pain management included workload and culture o f the hospital. The process of managing a pain episode included five phases: eliminating other sources o f discomfort, judging pain, comforting, medicating, and letting go.