Coventry Jessica, Thomas Rhianydd, Davies Luke M, Williams Cylie M, Ta Binh, Pacey Verity
School of Primary and Allied Health, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Monash University Frankston Victoria Australia.
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences Macquarie University Macquarie New South Wales Australia.
Paediatr Neonatal Pain. 2025 Sep 15;7(3):e70014. doi: 10.1002/pne2.70014. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Good communication strategies are essential in the management of chronic pain in children. While physiotherapists play a key role in pain management, there is limited guidance on adapting communication strategies for children of different ages. This study describes the communication approaches physiotherapists consider when working with children experiencing chronic lower limb pain and how they adapt these strategies across developmental stages. This study incorporated a qualitative design with three case vignettes and semi-structured focus groups with 20 physiotherapists with experience in pediatrics (mean 11 years physiotherapy experience, 70% with 80%-100% pediatric caseload). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three key themes were generated: (1) Understanding the child and their needs, tailored to the child's developmental level, interests, and communication style; (2) Reassuring and empowering the child, highlighting strategies to build trust, validate pain experiences, and foster autonomy; and (3) Educating the child and their family, addressing pain-related misconceptions and supporting pain management. Additionally, four communication strategies were described by physiotherapists as methods they employ during consultations to support their approaches. These were (1) visual aids, (2) mirror child's language, (3) storytelling and analogies, and (4) age-appropriate resources. Physiotherapists describe understanding, empowering, and educating children with chronic pain through diverse communication strategies tailored to the child's age. These findings highlight the different approaches that may be helpful for physiotherapists who are new to pediatrics or chronic pain management and may enhance physiotherapy practice and improve outcomes for children with chronic pain.
良好的沟通策略对于儿童慢性疼痛的管理至关重要。虽然物理治疗师在疼痛管理中起着关键作用，但针对不同年龄段儿童调整沟通策略的指导却很有限。本研究描述了物理治疗师在与患有慢性下肢疼痛的儿童合作时所考虑的沟通方法，以及他们如何在不同发育阶段调整这些策略。本研究采用了定性设计，包括三个病例 vignettes 和与 20 名有儿科经验的物理治疗师（平均 11 年物理治疗经验，70% 的儿科病例负荷为 80%-100%）进行的半结构化焦点小组。使用主题分析对数据进行了分析。产生了三个关键主题：（1）了解儿童及其需求，根据儿童的发育水平、兴趣和沟通方式进行调整；（2）安抚和增强儿童的信心，强调建立信任、验证疼痛经历和培养自主性的策略；（3）教育儿童及其家庭，解决与疼痛相关的误解并支持疼痛管理。此外，物理治疗师描述了四种沟通策略，作为他们在咨询过程中采用的方法来支持他们的方法。这些策略是（1）视觉辅助工具，（2）模仿儿童的语言，（3）讲故事和类比，以及（4）适合年龄的资源。物理治疗师描述了通过根据儿童年龄量身定制的各种沟通策略来理解、增强慢性疼痛儿童的信心并对其进行教育。这些发现突出了对于儿科或慢性疼痛管理新手的物理治疗师可能有帮助的不同方法，并可能加强物理治疗实践并改善慢性疼痛儿童的治疗效果。
