Examination of Different Pain Scales

Aim: There are many pain assessment techniques, and the best scale is not clear. The purpose of this study was to examine a self-report questionnaire, observational scale, and verbal scale; describe physiotherapist–parent– children's postoperative pain assessment correlation; and address the preference and clinical utility of validated pain scale. Methods: The participants in the study consisted of 101 children (3–18 years, 75 boys and 26 girls). The assessment was made in the postoperative 30th minute when they were fully awake. Before the assessment, children were asked their demographic datas. Pain was assessed using four validated and standardized pain scales: Oucher, Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability (FLACC), the Faces Pain Scale, and the Verbal Rating Scale. Results: To assess the correlation between four pain scales, Spearmen correlation calculations were used. Oucher has a positive and strong correlation with the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) (0.727) and Faces Pain Scale (FPS) (0.757). VRS has a strong and positive correlation with FPS (0.744). FLACC has a moderate and positive correlation with FPS and Oucher, but a weak correlation with VRS. Oucher was the most preferred scale by the children. Fourteen children could not decide which scale they preferred. Discussion: Oucher was the most preferred scale by the children and had a uniformly increasing relationship with FPS and VRS. This finding has implications for research on pain management using Oucher, which was a reliable and preferred scale in children. It was found they in case the child could not define pain, parents' assessments were reliable.