I finally placed an IV on the thirteenth attempt in a spot without the anesthetic cream. It was one of my worst IV experiences. The next day, Jennifer's parents brought Godiva chocolate in appreciation of the excellent care we had provided for their daughter. Pain Undertreatment of pain is a chronic problem in hospitals and is a particularly acute and underrecognized problem in pediatric hospitals. We routinely perform painful procedures on children who cannot understand why they need them.
Adults can understand why a blood draw is necessary and tolerate the minimal discomfort.
For a child, the same blood draw is torture. Her mother explained that she was asking for a Band-Aid, her signal that the blood draw was over. It breaks my heart every time. They don't yet have the verbal ability to understand our explanations or the words to describe the pain and fear they feel. Even with good pain control, we often have to restrain the children to keep them still during procedures.