The nurse wants to assess the amount of pain a preadolescent with scoliosis experiences throughout the day. Which tool should the nurse use to make this assessment?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Having children keep logs or diaries in which they note when pain occurs and the intensity of the pain each time it occurs can be useful for assessing children with chronic but intermittent pain. Examining such a diary not only reveals when pain occurs but also provide direction for pain management. The FACES tool is appropriate to assess the pain level of small children starting around age 3 years. Although appropriate for a preadolescent child, the Adolescent Pediatric Pain Tool assesses one episode of pain.
The Numerical or Visual Analog Scale also assesses the amount of pain during one episode in time.

The Nurse Wants to Assess the Amount of Pain a Preadolescent