Africa Knowledge Management Portal
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WHO guidelines on the pharmacological treatment of persisting pain in children with medical illnesses
Health Systems
Maternal and Child Health
Description
Pain in children is a public health concern of major significance in most parts of the world. Although the means and knowledge to relieve pain exists, children��s pain is often not recognized, is ignored or even denied. These guidelines address the pharmacological management of persisting pain in children with medical illnesses. As such, they replace the previous guidelines, Cancer pain relief and palliative care in children, which exclusively covered cancer pain. They include several clinical recommendations, including a new two-step approach of pharmacological treatment. The guidelines also point to the necessary policy changes required and highlight future priority areas of research