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Pediatric Pain Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation

Renee C B Manworren1, Jennifer Stinson2

  • 1Acute Pain Management Program, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; UCONN Center for Advancing Management of Pain NIH Center of Excellence in Pain Education, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.

Seminars in Pediatric Neurology
|December 20, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Accurate pain assessment in children is crucial for effective diagnosis and treatment. This overview covers pain evaluation tools and future personalized pediatric pain medicine approaches.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Pain Medicine
  • Health Technology

Background:

  • Pain assessment is foundational for pediatric diagnosis, treatment selection, and effectiveness evaluation.
  • Despite available tools, children's pain is often suboptimally measured and treated.
  • Optimal pain management requires a thorough understanding of assessment principles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide an overview of pain evaluation methods for pediatric patients from neonates to adolescents.
  • To differentiate between pain assessment and pain measurement.
  • To identify key steps and factors in selecting appropriate pediatric pain assessment tools.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on pediatric pain assessment tools.
  • Discussion of self-report and behavioral assessment methods.
  • Identification of factors influencing tool selection for different age groups.

Main Results:

  • Several valid and reliable pain assessment tools exist for pediatric populations.
  • Key steps and considerations for choosing appropriate assessment tools are outlined.
  • The distinction between pain assessment and measurement is clarified.

Conclusions:

  • Effective pain management in children relies on optimal assessment strategies.
  • Future directions include personalized pain medicine leveraging digital health and genomics.
  • Continued research and implementation of best practices are essential for improving pediatric pain care.

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