1Nursing care Research Center in Chronic Diseases, School of Nursing and Midwifery
2Dept. of Anesthesiology, Medical School
3Health Research Institute, Research Center of Thalassemia & Hemoglobinopathy, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
*Correspondence author: Dr. Shahram Baraz, Nursing care Research Center in Chronic Diseases, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. Tel: 09166066849 Email: shahrambaraz@ajums.ac.ir
Online published on 13 December, 2018.
Pain assessment and management in children continue to remain as a problem that necessitates an investigation into aggravating factors of pediatric pain. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), children still suffer from pain in hospitals and better pain prevention, assessment, and treatment measures are required. This review study intended to investigate pain assessment tools in children in intensive care units (ICU).
This review study searched relevant articles published in Ovid, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, Cochran, and CINAHAL databases within 2003 and 2016, using keywords of pain management, pain care, pediatric pain, and pediatric intensive care unit.
Finally, 31 relevant articles and one book were found. Four major pain assessment tools for children in ICUs are FLACC, COMFORT-B, MAP, CAAC Scales.
Among the four major pain assessment tools, COMFORT-B is the most commonly used scale in ventilated children. It is worth noting that other tools are also effective in pediatric pain assessment and pain management in children.
Pain Management, Pain Care, Pediatric Pain, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
