The Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine (SPPM) aims to advance the quality of anesthesia care and the alleviation of pain-related conditions in children.
A new systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics has found that anxiety and depression is 3 times greater in youth with chronic pain compared to overall community prevalence, with 1 in 3 having anxiety and 1 in 8 meeting criteria for depression.
Full study can be found here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2823154
New consensus recommendations have been published in BMJ Pediatrics. Based on expert opinion and evidence in the literature, the guidelines supported the use of acetaminophen and various regional anesthesia techniques to improve analgesia and minimize opioids.
Full paper can be found here: https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/bmjpo/8/1/e002824.full.pdf
Congratulations to SPPM past presidents, Dr. Rita Agarwal and Dr. Robert Wilder for contributing as authors to recently published clinical practice guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics on opioids prescribing for pediatric acute pain. These are the first guidelines that provide guidance on prescribing of opioids to children and adolescents in an outpatient setting and is unique in having a patient/caregiver with lived experience contributing to this important document.
Read the full paper here: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2024-068752/199482/Opioid-Prescribing-for-Acute-Pain-Management-in?autologincheck=redirected
ChildKind President and Founder, Dr. Neil Schechter, spoke at a webinar recently on communication tips and ideas about how to make the conversation about chronic pain successful when communicating with children and families.
Watch the webinar here: https://childkindinternational.org/childkind-webinar-series/
SPPM 13th Annual Meeting
March 12, 2026
Sheraton Denver Downtown
Denver, CO