International Pediatric Pain Conferences

International Pediatric Pain Conferences

One of the main objectives of ALGOS is to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents who have chronic pain, as well as that of their parents and caregivers. Much of our work is directed towards this objective, which is why in 2007 we decided to organize some sessions devoted to the study and treatment of pediatric pain: first, to present this problem to a broad public ; and second, to facilitate a space where different professionals and researchers in the sector could share ideas and collaborate, in order to improve the quality of life of these children and adolescents.

At the end of 2013, the ALGOS group organized the fourth edition of the International Pediatric Pain Conferences.

In general terms, it can be pointed out that a significant proportion of the child population experiences chronic pain problems. However, chronic pain in children does not receive the attention it deserves; The World Health Organization recognizes that pediatric pain is not being treated properly, warning of the lack of protocols specifically developed for this population and calls for more determined action by politicians and specialists to deal with it.

The lack of attention to the problems of pain in children in Spain is reflected in the fact that while we count on a good number of units to attend to the cases of chronic pain in adults, we do not have units of importance and similar characteristics for Treat cases of chronic childhood pain. And something similar could be said of most countries in our environment.

The objective of the IV International Conferences was to bring the reality of problems in the evaluation and treatment of pain in children and adolescents, present the progress recorded in recent years, and show the resources available to address these problems.

In the study and treatment of pediatric pain, different professionals and disciplines converge. Since the first edition, these conferences have been characterized to promote professional collaboration and favor interdisciplinarity. To a large extent, this approach reflects an underlying idea of the organization of these Conferences, that is, that we can do more and better things together than in isolation. And, from there, the theme of the Conference: various perspectives, the same objective. In short, it is about promoting the study and treatment of childhood pain to help improve the quality of life of all those involved, of the children themselves, also of their families.

As in previous occasions, the 4th International Pediatric Pain Conferences was organized by ALGOS (multidisciplinary group of pain research), although we also have the collaboration of other groups, researchers and entities interested. We hope this new edition will continue to enjoy the interest of clinicians and researchers.