Fifteen-minute consultation: Pain relief for children made simple-a pragmatic approach to prescribing oral analgesia in the postcodeine era.

What are the most effective doses of simple oral analgesics such as paracetamol and ibuprofen for pain relief in children? Why can't I prescribe codeine phosphate for children anymore? Is oral morphine really a safe alternative to codeine phosphate, and if so what dose should I prescribe? These questions are frequently asked by clinicians who wish to give analgesics to children for pain relief. In this article I will address these questions and describe a pragmatic approach for pain relief using oral analgesics based on the best evidence available and my experience as a consultant paediatric anaesthetist.