| A qualitative study using the grounded theory method was used to 'explore factors that affect nurses' pain management decision-making when caring for children between the ages of 0 and 3 years. This study was approved by the Human Assurance Committee at Medical College of Georgia prior to the collection of data. The sample consisted of eleven nurses who were employed at three different hospitals in the southeastern part of the United States. Theoretical sampling was the basis for the selection of participants after the first two interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and were subjected to open and axial coding. The constant comparative method was used during data analysis to identify a core category and related concepts. The basic social process that emerged is engaging in tactics of pain management. This process contained two other processes: assessing for pain and managing a pain episode. Intrinsic factors that affected assessing for pain included knowing the territory, personal attributes of the registered nurse (RN), being a parent, and being connected. Extrinsic factors that affected engaging in tactics of pain management included workload and culture of the hospital. The process of managing a pain episode included five phases: eliminating other sources of discomfort, judging pain, comforting, medicating, and letting go. |
