Medicines management in children and young people: pharmacological approaches to treat pain

Pain management in children is often more complex than in adults, since pain in children can be more challenging to assess and therefore more challenging to treat. It is essential that children's nurses have knowledge and understanding of the physiology of pain and the analgesics available to treat different types of pain. This article describes nociception and provides an overview of the three main groups of analgesics - non-opioids, opioids and adjuvants - that can be used in the pharmacological management of pain in children and young people.