We are a tertiary referral service therefore patients should be referred by another hospital specialist involved in the child/ young persons’ care.
Services
The Paediatric Pain Management Team consists of:
- 2 Consultant Anaesthetists with an interest in Paediatric Pain Management
- 3 Specialist Pain Management Nurses
We work as part of a multidisciplinary team which includes psychologists and physiotherapists: providing home education and treatment which is fundamental to the biopsychosocial model of pain management.
We utilise evidence-based pain management strategies, with the goal of improving level of function and quality of life for children/young people and their families. Primarily we endeavour to optimise school attendance and facilitate return to hobbies and socialising with friends/family. We also strive to achieve some reduction in pain level, explaining from the outset this may be hard to accomplish, to avoid unrealistic expectations.
We utilise a combination of pharmacological, non-pharmacological and alternative treatments (acupuncture, relaxation, massage). We have a close working relationship with our colleagues in clinical psychology: as thoughts, feelings and behaviours are clearly linked to pain perception and modulation. Research has shown that psychological techniques have a strong evidence base in improving quality of life in paediatric pain patients.
Who to refer:
This is a tertiary referral service, therefore patients should be referred by another hospital specialist involved in the child/ young persons’ care.
We accept referrals for children and young people:
- Aged 16 years or younger
- 16-18 year olds will be considered when they are still under regular review by another RHCYP Consultant.
- Pain should have been present for 3 months or more and affect function or quality of life.
- The exception to this is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Patients thought to have CRPS should be referred as soon as the diagnosis is suspected and they will be given an urgent appointment. For CRPS diagnostic criteria please see Appendix I below.
How to refer:
Patients should be referred by another hospital specialist involved in the child/ young persons’ care.
Referral should be by letter, addressed to:
Pain Management Clinic, Anaesthetic Department, RHCYP, Edinburgh. Ideally patients should be referred to their local PPALS/ CAMHS at the same time, to minimise waiting times for this extremely valuable service.
Anaesthetic Department Secretary: Tel: 0131 536 0226
•Pain Management Nurses Office: Tel: 0131 536 0605
• Paediatric Pain Guideline; https://www.gov.scot/publications/management-chronic-pain-children-young-people/
•Persistent Pain in Children and Young People PIL: Persistent-Pain-Patient-Information.pdf
