Patient Controlled Analgesia Pump Cues on Patient Satisfaction (PCA Cues)

To examine whether providing patients with a cue to the availability of pain medication affects patient satisfaction, patient anxiety, PCA efficacy, and safety.

Post-operative pain is primarily managed via Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA). The newest PCA pumps can be programmed so that the button is backlit with a green light at the end of the lockout period, and the green light flashes when the medication is being dispensed. No studies have examined whether this type of visual cue would influence satisfaction or other patient outcomes (such as opioid consumption, PCA safety and patient anxiety) in children and adolescents, and no studies have examined whether pediatric patients' perspectives would be similar to those of adults.

The PCA pump will be programmed such that no cues will be provided to the end of the lockout period (current standard of care).

Patient satisfaction with their PCA pump. Satisfaction was measured on a 0 to 10 scale, with higher numbers indicating greater satisfaction.

State anxiety on POD 1 and POD 2. The total score is presented as a T-score, which ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater levels of state anxiety. With a T-score, the mean is always 50, and the standard deviation is always 10.

Inclusion Criteria: 7-18 years Opioid naïve Scheduled for a surgery for which a PCA is routinely used for post-operative pain management At least 1 parent speaks English Exclusion Criteria: Prior experience with PCA Cognitive delay precluding independent use of the PCA button Current use of anxiolytics or antidepressants Patients receiving epidural analgesia