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Healthcare Professionals Dissatisfied With Treatment Options for Managing Procedure-Related Pain in Children

Posted on: Wednesday, 2 May 2007, 18:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced results from the Children's Hospitals Activate to Manage Pain (CHAMP) Survey. The survey showed that hospital-based pediatric pain specialists are generally dissatisfied with standard treatment options for managing procedure-related pain and there appears to be a relatively low level of knowledge about the newest treatment options that may address their concerns. Results from the survey of 200 pediatric healthcare professionals were presented at the American Pain Society's Annual Scientific Meeting.

Ninety-nine percent of survey respondents said procedure-related pain management is an "important" to the "most important" concern in pediatric health care, with 94 percent saying procedure-related pain management is a primary priority in pediatric care.

Only 42 percent of respondents said they were "very satisfied" with long- standing pediatric pain prevention treatment options, with most indicating that length of time to treatment effect (75 percent) and lengthy prep time (58 percent) were common reasons for the dissatisfaction. Seventy percent of respondents indicated a desire for additional procedure-related pain management options for their patients, yet only 20 percent indicated they were aware of the newest available option for local pain prevention associated with venous access and dermatologic procedures in pediatric patients. Meanwhile, 92 percent of respondents had yet to use this newest topical option in patient care for indicated procedures, suggesting significant potential for future use.

"Untreated pain can lead children to conditioned anxiety responses, fear of physicians and heightened perception of pain in the future," said Susan T. Verghese, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics, The George Washington University Medical Center. "The CHAMP survey results highlight the need for effective and convenient treatments that help minimize the pain associated with venous access procedures and other dermatological procedures."

While the Infusion Nurses Society encourages the use of topical anesthetics to ease the pain associated with venipunctures and IV placements, only 68 percent of survey respondents said they provide their patients with treatment before a potentially painful procedure.

"It is important for healthcare professionals who are regularly treating pediatric patients to know that quick and effective topical anesthetics do exist," said Alan Farrow-Gillespie, M.D., Director, Pediatric Pain Management Center, Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. "I hope the CHAMP survey findings encourage clinicians to explore new treatment options that may help to further minimize procedural-related pain in children."

Survey Methodology

The telephone survey was conducted by Roper Public Affairs & Media, a division of GfK Custom Research, an international survey research firm, and made possible through sponsorship from Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. The survey was initiated to encourage dialogue among U.S. children's hospital healthcare professionals surrounding procedure-related pain and to identify unmet clinical needs in pediatric care. Two hundred healthcare professionals in the U.S. who are responsible for administering venous access or dermatological procedures in children over three years of age were interviewed between February 21 and March 6, 2007.

About CHAMP

The concept of managing acute and chronic pain in children has been debated in the healthcare community for decades. While there is now recognition that young people feel pain the way adults do and agreement that an unmet medical need exists, procedure-related pain continues to be systematically under-managed. Endo Pharmaceuticals is committed to providing education to children's hospitals across the country to encourage increased focus on this critical issue in pediatric care.

About Endo

A wholly owned subsidiary of Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company with market leadership in pain management products. The company researches, develops, produces and markets a broad product offering of branded and generic pharmaceuticals, meeting the needs of healthcare professionals and consumers alike. More information, including this and past press releases of Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. is available online at http://www.endo.com/.

Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.

CONTACT: Katie Meginniss of Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., +1-610-558-9800;or Jennifer Brunet of GCI Group, +1-212-537-8246

Web site: http://www.endo.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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