Which children should be referred to pediatric pain management specialists?
Children with recurrent, persistent, and chronic pain benefit from interdisciplinary teams implementing multimodal pain treatment plans. Unfortunately most major American cities still do not have specialized pediatric pain management teams available to address the needs of this vulnerable population. Board certification in pediatric pain management does not exist, and pediatric pain management specialists are as varied as the patients they treat. Despite the lack of appropriate specialists to accept patient referrals, most pediatric pain management specialty teams at leading children’s hospitals will consult with primary care providers to develop a plan to address children’s pain and best meet the needs of these children and their families.