Implementing the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research pain management pediatric guideline in a multicultural practice setting

This article describes the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of a clinical practice guideline for managing pediatric patient pain. The standard of care used was the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research acute pain management guideline. It was used to assess current levels of care and to make recommendations for improvements. Information was gathered from a sample of 240 pediatric patients aged 1 week to 14 years. Recommendations for improving care are given. The guideline was found to be clinically useful as a general standard of care, but more work needs to be done to individualize care for specific populations, age groups, and cultures.