Assessing acute and chronic pain in children and young people
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Assessing acute and chronic pain in children and young people

Rebecca Saul Lecturer practitioner, Pain Control Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, England
Judy Peters Lead clinical nurse specialist, Pain Control Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, England
Elizabeth Bruce Clinical nurse specialist, Pain Control Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, England

Accurate assessment of pain in children and young people is an essential nursing skill that forms the basis of any pain management intervention. This article outlines the different tools available to assess acute and chronic pain in children and young people. Validity and reliability of these tools is discussed and the importance of factors such as level of cognitive development and age are emphasised.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2016.e10549

Correspondence

Becky.Saul@gosh.nhs.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Received: 30 April 2016

Accepted: 09 August 2016

Published online: 25 October 2016

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