Children’s description of pain through drawings and dialogs: A concept analysis

AIM: To present a concept analysis of pain in children's drawings and dialogs. INTRODUCTION: The complexity and subjectivity of the concept of pain in children remain ambiguous. As a result, children are exposed to inappropriate diagnosis and inadequate treatment. Children can describe or draw their painful experiences. Analysing the concept of pain based on children's experiences can help identify, assess and properly manage and treat pain in children. DESIGN: Concept analysis. METHODS: Walker and Avant's framework for concept analysis was used in this current study. RESULTS: Major aspects of pain revealed in this concept analysis are affected by children's different concerns about pain. The description of pain in children with chronic diseases or chronic pain is completely different from that in healthy children. Children perceive pain to be internal, external and emotional. Pain in children is associated with poor psychological and emotional conditions, which add new features and aspects to the concept of pain. Children's descriptions and drawings of pain indicate different concepts of pain in their minds. From the perspective of children, pain has an identity that is formed based on reality. CONCLUSION: When developing pain evaluation tools, it is necessary to address the characteristics of pain. In the case of chronic pain, emotional effects of pain on children's psyche need extra attention. Child‐based pain management guidelines can then be formulated with the results of relevant concept analyses. Pain assessment is a major part of pain management in children. By considering the characteristics of the concept of pain, the efficiency and usefulness of developed tools can be enhanced to create advancement in paediatric pain management.