Global Recognition for Innovative Pain Management
The Stollery Children’s Hospital stands out as a worldwide leader in pediatric pain management, earning certification from ChildKind International for its comprehensive approach to assessing, treating, and managing pain in young patients. This recognition ensures families like that of Ben Thomas receive dedicated care where every child’s discomfort receives serious attention.
Ben, diagnosed with kidney cancer at age five, endured 10 months of treatment before celebrating remission in the hospital’s oncology department by ringing the victory bell. Tragically, the cancer returned when he was 11, bringing the family back to the Stollery. Over the intervening five and a half years, the hospital has significantly evolved its strategies for addressing pain.
A Family’s Perspective on Kinder Care
“Nobody likes to see their kid in pain,” shared Erica Thomas, Ben’s mother. She highlights how pain management has become deeply embedded in the hospital’s culture. From applying numbing cream before every needle poke to providing detailed explanations prior to procedures, staff adopt a proactive stance to ease discomfort.
These efforts not only reduce physical pain but also alleviate emotional fears. “Anything that we can do to minimize the pain makes my job easier, helps him feel less scared, and keeps our conversations more positive,” Erica noted. Even during major procedures where sedation wasn’t possible due to Ben’s health, the team employed creative methods to lessen both pain and anxiety. Ben’s most vivid recollection from one such experience involves a lively debate with an anesthesiologist about Crocs versus Birkenstocks, rather than any discomfort.
These positive encounters inspired Erica to join the ChildKind Committee as a parent advisor, where she champions pain care that addresses both physical and emotional aspects. “Parents bring a different perspective,” she explained. For instance, Ben now declines numbing cream because its scent evokes distressing memories from his initial treatments, and staff honor his preference while still offering it.
Comprehensive Training and Institutional Commitment
The ChildKind certification mandates training for all hospital personnel, from leadership to housekeeping and non-clinical roles, ensuring pain management permeates every level. “Our entire team, from top to bottom, commits to the principle that pain matters,” stated Angela Bokenfohr, clinical nurse specialist for pediatric trauma and surgery. She emphasized that even support staff, like those delivering food trays, feel empowered to intervene when spotting a child in distress.
Unmanaged pain carries serious risks, Bokenfohr warned. In the short term, it heightens suffering and trauma. Poorly controlled acute pain can lead to chronic issues, heightened sensitivity, extended hospital stays, and potential impacts on cognitive development.
The hospital employs the internationally endorsed “3P” framework: pharmacological interventions like medications, physical methods such as ice, heat, repositioning, splints, movement, and rest, and psychological techniques including distraction, comfort holds, reassurance, and emotional support. Staff typically integrate one element from each category tailored to the patient’s needs.
Practical tools, including comfort holds where a trusted caregiver cradles the child during procedures and the Buzzy device that uses vibration to disrupt pain signals, form part of routine practice. “These are simple things, but they change everything,” Bokenfohr affirmed.
Certification’s Broader Impact
Only 23 hospitals globally hold ChildKind certification, which demands institutional dedication, uniform assessment protocols, staff-wide education, and ongoing quality enhancements. In Alberta, the Stollery joins the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary and the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton as certified facilities.
“You have to manage pain—it’s not an add-on but foundational to the entire health-care experience,” asserted Dr. Tara McGrath, pediatric rheumatologist, pain medicine physician, and medical lead of the Stollery Chronic Pain Clinic. Effective acute pain control can prevent chronic pain in later years. While some discomfort is inevitable in medical journeys, she stressed the ability to foster feelings of safety, validation, and support for both children and families.
The certification process has spotlighted improvement areas, with ongoing initiatives in place to excel during recertification. This commitment underscores the hospital’s dedication to making care kinder and more effective for its youngest patients.
