Predicting Who Receives Nonpharmacologic Pain Interventions in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

The analysis relied on electronic health record documentation, so interventions given but not written down may be missed. Two PICUs had no nonpharmacologic intervention records and were excluded, so the result may not apply to all units. The records did not show why repositioning, music, caregiver presence, or airway clearance were done, or how faithfully they were delivered. This was an observational 24-hour audit, not a test of whether nonpharmacologic interventions reduced pain. Documentation used nonpharmacologic labels without standardized nursing language, so some interventions may have been miscategorized.

The supplied text does not include an author conflict of interest declaration; the article is tagged as NIH extramural research support.

Do not read the 44% documented rate as proof that children without records received no nonpharmacologic pain care. Two sites had no records and were excluded, and interventions may have been provided without documentation. The study also cannot show that any intervention reduced pain.