We congratulate Paula Mahon, who has been awarded PICH’s Post-Doctoral stipend of $11,000 effective September 1, 2013 as supplementary funding to assist in her continuing studies in the field.
Under the sponsorship of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), leading research centres in the area of pediatric pain have joined to provide a training consortium to strengthen the preparation of trainees to become independent investigators. PICH’s most important function is to develop a community of scholars in pediatric pain. Membership in the consortium is open to those with a commitment to pain in child health in any discipline and at any level in their training.
“Measuring pain in children is complex, particularly for children aged 2-4 years; this group of children is not well-studied or understood with respect to reporting pain as occurs in cancer, arthritis, cerebral palsy and other chronic health conditions. To address this gap, my work will establish the initial psychometric properties of the “Rainbow Pain Scale” (RPS). The RPS tool was developed by the mother of a young child in response to the child’s use of colours to describe her pain. The RPS has been pilot tested in individual cases for feasibility, but before broader application, the scale requires further testing to ensure it is reliable and valid. To do this, I am taking a staged approach to the research. First, I will assess the reliability and validity of the RPS in early school aged children as proof of principle, comparing ratings of children’s pain using the RPS with those of the “Faces Pain Scale – Revised (FPS-R) (Phase 1). Then, based on my findings, in a second study, I will evaluate the reliability and validity of RPS for use in pre-school aged children (Phase 2). ”
Dr Paula Mahon, RN, MHSc., D Health
Post Doctoral Fellow