The word “pain”, from the Latin dolere (“to feel hurt”), is one of the most frequently used—and often misused—terms in clinical practice. In hospitals, pain is regarded as the “fifth vital sign”, making its assessment (or, in practice, its measurement) mandatory, sometimes as often as every four hours in high-intensity care units. Pain is one of the most common reasons for presentation to the emergency department, both in adult medicine and in paediatrics. Because of pain, children often miss school, withdraw from classes, or stop participating in sports. As a result, pain has a major impact on a child’s life, reducing social participation and quality of life.
These pages aim to offer a perspective on the world of pain, exploring its roots and consequences in the lives of every patient, every family, and every healthcare professional. They also seek to examine how this condition—often more than a mere symptom (see below)—shapes clinical experience and everyday life.