Why are children still crying? Going beyond "evidence" in guideline development to improve pain care for children: the HELPinKIDS experience.

Abstract

The failure to translate research evidence into day-to-day clinical practices is identified as a significant reason for suboptimal quality care across the health system, including procedural pain management in children. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been developed to assist in this process by synthesizing and interpreting research evidence for end users. Numerous CPGs have been developed for procedural pain management in children, yet gaps persist in the adoption of best practices. This article reviews the experience and approach of 1 guideline development group, the Help ELiminate Pain in KIDS Team (HELPinKIDS), in incorporating implementation considerations and knowledge translation (KT) strategies within the process of guideline development for the HELPinKIDS CPG about childhood vaccination pain management to facilitate greater uptake of the CPG. Specific areas that will be addressed include partnerships with stakeholders, rigor of guideline development, issues of implementation, and editorial independence. The work of HELPinKIDS was guided by a KT map, which identified, at a high level, the target audiences, key messages, tools, and strategies that could be used to communicate, disseminate, and implement the CPG into diverse settings. Examples of impact at both the individual and systems levels from HELPinKIDS KT activities are also presented.