Pedia Pain Focus

Dr. Jennifer Rabbitts, MD a Board certified pediatric anesthesiologist and prolific pain researcher studies pain and health outcomes including the influence of sleep and other factors on pain outcomes in the short and long term. Sleep and pain have a bidirectional relationship, but it appears that sleep has the upper hand determining the sensitivity, intensity and duration of pain. Sleep as an important pillar of health, exerts its influence in many domains and many ways. In this episode she discusses her findings on the salient ways in which sleep influences pain and other health outcomes of children undergoing surgery, both in the immediate peri-operative and post-operative period. Takeaways in This Episode How Dr. Rabbitts became interested in children's pain management Why it is important to be studying the relationship between sleep and pain Host of factors in the hospital which influence the quantity and quality of sleep during the peri-operative period The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend