Review Article
Year: 2020 | Month: October | Volume: 10 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 144-156
Behavioral Observation: An Important and Valid Outcome Measures for Assessment of Acute Pain in Children: A Review
Sushma Oommen1, Asha P. Shetty2
1Associate Professor, KDA Nursing College C/O Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Four Bungalows, Andheri West, Mumbai-400053, Maharashtra, India.
2Professor-cum-Principal, College of Nursing AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Sijua, Dumduma Post, Khurdha District, Odisha-751019 India
Corresponding Author: Sushma Oommen
ABSTRACT
Background - Pain is a very frequent phenomenon during childhood; it can be a symptom of an acute or chronic illness or may occur as a part of routine medical care like immunization. All types of pain lead to distress which is exhibited through behavior. Most of the people engage in these behaviors when in pain. For younger children or those with developmental delays often where communication is difficult, behavior is the only indicator of distress, as well as the degree of pain.2 Those behaviours that indicate that an individual is experiencing pain are called pain behaviours. They include behaviors such as resting, guarding, grimacing, asking for help, taking medication, and other observable behaviors. Behavioral measures consist of an assessment of crying, facial expressions, body postures, and movements. Those children who cannot verbalize like newborns, infants, and younger children these measures are the only way to assess pain.
Objective- To identify and report that behavior is an important indicator of pain and behavioral observation used as outcome measures for the assessment of pain in children in the published journal articles.
Methods- The study started by exploring the literature on the topic from various sources. Titles and abstracts were screened .articles involving children (neonatal period to school age) e. using at least one appropriate behavioural outcome measure for pain assessment or assessment of behavioral distress. A descriptive summary of obtained information was prepared
Conclusions- As children cannot express and quantify their pain due to their yet developing cognitive verbal and ability (Oakes, 2011)3 and other developmental factors. Therefore it’s an important responsibility health care worker to assess a child’s pain through behavioral assessment. Based on these assumptions the number of pain scales based on behavioral observations has been developed. Multidimensional pain scales should be utilized to determine the level of pain so that pain can be effectively managed. Behavioural observations are found to be the most widely used tool for assessment of the degree of pain among various researches
Key words: Children, pain, pain assessment, pain scale, Self-report, Behavioral observation, Behavioural responses to pain and evidence-based practice