Factors affecting nurses' decisions to administer PRN analgesic medication to children after surgery: an analog investigation.

Investigated postoperative PRN analgesic medication decisions regarding children in 113 hospital nurses, using analog stimuli. Nurses with greater narcotics knowledge and comfort indicated they would provide significantly more medication. Nurses provided more analgesics to children showing higher pain, and on the first than on the third postoperative day. Seriousness of child's condition also affected medication decisions. On the first day, nurses gave less medication to the child with than without permanent sequelae, whereas on the third postoperative day nurses provided more analgesics to the child with than without sequelae. These findings were consistent across high and low pain conditions. Nurses' ratings of children's pain were also affected by seriousness and time since surgery. Findings are discussed with reference to problems of undermanagement of children's pain.