Figure 72.1 Factors affecting a child’s behaviour when in pain Figure 72.2 Key steps in pain assessment Figure 72.3 Three approaches to assessing pain Figure 72.4 Self-report tools Figure 72.5 Some of the more commonly used and well-validated pain assessment tools
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Pain assessment
Pain assessment is the first step in the management of pain. To treat pain effectively, ongoing assessment of the presence and severity of pain and the child’s response to treatment is essential. However, pain assessment poses many challenges in children because of the subjective nature of pain, and developmental and language limitations. In addition, not all children behave in the same way when in pain and so the factors identified in Figure 72.1 need considering when carrying out a pain assessment.
Self-report tools
There are a plethora of pain assessment tools available. If you work on a general paediatric ward you are likely to have two or three tools available to cater for the ages of children cared for. Some of the most commonly used pain assessment tools are listed in Figure 72.5.
Faces pain scales
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