The effect of pain on pediatric hospitalization, consequences of untreated pain and importance of managing it are discussions addressed by institutional project Hospital CuidaDor - Crianças sem Dor [Children without Pain], supported by Fiotec. The initiative is the result of a partnership between Instituto Fernandes Figueira (IFF), University of São Paulo (USP) and Dalhousie University in Canada, with funding from the Ministry of Health. Started in Brazil in January 2011, the program aims at mapping the issue of pain in hospitals, and from the results and analysis enabling professionals to deal with the problem efficiently. The intent is to make IFF and USP reference centers in pain management, following the example of Hospital Iwk Health Center, in Canada.

The project was divided into three stages: research/mapping, qualification, and development of a website. An important step was a research conducted with health professionals to learn how they deal with the issue of pain. "The research results showed that the professionals are aware of the issue of pain. To demonstrate this care our next step is to build an institutional line through the creation of protocols. Participation by professionals is important for them to know how the issue is being addressed in IFF by concrete data" said project coordinator Maria de Fátima Junqueira in an interview with the Agência Fiocruz de Notícias [news service] and IFF website.

Another milestone in the implementation of the proposal was the workshop with the presence of Canadian researcher Allen Finley, organizer of the program Child Kind, which served as inspiration for the creation of the Brazilian project. Finley met with the teams of Pediatric Surgery, Neonatology and Pediatrics to discuss the specific needs of each service in order to establish the best protocol for pain care at IFF. The workshop was attended by 80 professionals.

The researcher has explained how the process of pain works in the human body. According to him, research has shown that animals subjected to painful procedures repeatedly when adults are more vulnerable to pain, having lower immune response, and being more susceptible to cancer. Finley also said that, in premature infants, the more intense the pain the lower the ability to demonstrate it, and that in the future just a simple touch can recall and even cause the sensation of the pain felt in the past.

According to IFF, some workshops, debates and meetings have already been held. Currently the development of the website for the dissemination of knowledge of the project is underway in order to make it accessible to professionals who deal with infants and children hospitalized.

* With information from IFF and Fiocruz portal