Using a Bedside Interactive Technology to Solicit and Record Pediatric Pain Reassessments: Parent and Nursing Perspectives on a Novel Workflow

To measure the impact of a novel interactive inpatient pediatric pain management solution integrating our hospital’s electronic health record system, the nurse communication phones, and the pharmacy dispensing system, we assessed parent and nurse perspectives on the tool’s potential value, benefits, and challenges. A mixed-methods approach with survey instruments containing closed-ended and open-ended questions was administered to 30 parents and 59 nurses (66% and 23% response rate respectively). Overall, parents were more satisfied with the interactive technology experience (90%) compared to nurses (50%) with both indicating timely reassessments of pain being the most valuable feature. Qualitative analysis of nurses’ responses yielded 6 themes for technology benefits and 12 for challenges. While patient-interactive technology solutions appear well-received particularly by parent end-users for pediatric hospital pain management, nurse training and interface improvements may result in higher efficacy, ultimately empowering patients/parents, promoting patient engagement and satisfaction.