Perspectives on Cancer Pain Assessment and Management in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To report evidence regarding pain assessment and management for children and adolescents receiving treatment for cancer. DATA SOURCES: Published research and clinical guidelines. CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents experience multiple sources of pain across the cancer continuum. They require developmentally relevant approaches when assessing and managing pain. This review suggests that consideration of the developmental stage and age of the child are essential in both pain assessment and pain management. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Pediatric oncology nurses play a key role in developmentally appropriate pain assessment, identification of potential strategies to manage pain, and delivery of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies.