Chuck SJA, Reyes GU

Language: Spanish
References: 14
Page: 24-26
PDF size: 184.99 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Pain in childhood presents both clinical and ethical challenges of great significance. Despite scientific advances, misconceptions persist—such as the belief that newborns do not feel pain or that minor injuries cause only mild discomfort. These false assumptions have contributed to inadequate pain management in pediatric care. This article reviews the clinical aspects of pain in children, including its detection through validated behavioral scales and the inherent complexities of assessment. It also examines the bioethical principles that should guide its management: beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, autonomy, proportionality, prevention, and non-abandonment. Each principle is contextualized within pediatric care, considering the child’s vulnerability and the moral responsibility of healthcare professionals. The paper emphasizes the importance of integrating bioethics into everyday clinical practice, promoting informed decision-making, timely treatment, and respect for the dignity of pediatric patients. It concludes with a call for pediatricians to engage in ethical training and multidisciplinary collaboration to ensure adequate pain relief in children. Ethical pain management not only improves the child’s quality of life but also strengthens the physician-patient relationship and fosters a more humanistic approach to medicine.

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