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Assessing Pain in Children

Belkis Landa-Gonzalez, Ed.D., OTR/L

June 2, 2014

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Question

What is the best way to assess pain in children?

Answer

It depends upon their age and ability to communicate with you.  If they are too young to communicate their feelings or are non-verbal, they can "rate" their pain by using a scale specifically made for children, such as the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (https://www.wongbakerfaces.org/), or other rating scales with pictures.

Their caregivers are another good source of information.  They are most familiar with the child and the child's normal behavior patterns.  They should be able to give you insight as to whether a behavior is typical or not.

We can also use our clinical judgement and observe any behavioral manifestations during treatment to determine whether they are uncomfortable.  

A combination of all the above resources can be used to get a clinical picture of the child.

 

Editor’s note: This Ask the Expert was adapted from the article ‘Evaluation and Management of Pain’.  The complete article can be accessed here.


belkis landa gonzalez

Belkis Landa-Gonzalez, Ed.D., OTR/L

Dr. Landa-Gonzalez is an Associate Professor of occupational therapy with over 19 years of clinical and consultative experience in adult physical and psychosocial rehabilitation working with a variety of conditions including orthopedic injuries, neuromuscular conditions, traumatic brain injuries and mood disorders. She has  worked in multiple settings from acute, to inpatient to home health settings and has been an occupational therapy  manager, leader and consultant. Dr. Landa-Gonzalez earned her doctorate in higher education and master’s degree in occupational therapy from Florida International University in Miami. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association, the Florida occupational Therapy Association, The World Federation of Occupational Therapy, the Arthritis Foundation and the Traumatic Head Injury Association.


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