Patient’s Guide

Dealing with Pain

At CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, we are committed to addressing your child’s pain. Pain is defined differently by each child. Pain can and should be prevented or controlled, and it takes the child, family and health care team to accomplish this. Here are some tips:

• Tell us your child’s special name for a pain (boo-boo, owie or other).
• Tell us how you comfort your child and how you know your child is hurting.
• Do what comforts your child when he or she is in pain.
• Be with your child before, during and after a medical procedure, if possible.
• Ask about the use of topical medications before injections or needle sticks.
• Request painless methods of medication administration whenever possible.
• Tell your doctors and nurses how much pain your child is experiencing.
• Request pain medication for your child as soon as needed.
• Know the risks, benefits and sideeffects of pain medication.
• At CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, we use the FACES scale to communicate how much pain your child is experiencing. Ask your nurse to show you how to use this scale.