Toward validation of pain measurement tools for children: a pilot study

TLDR

The study aimed to assess the validity of pain measurement tools for children after surgery. The authors evaluated CHEOPS, Observer, Faces, and visual analogue scales across age groups (6 months–3 years, 3–6 years, 6–12 years) to determine whether each tool reflected the expected pain trajectory of low pre‑op pain, post‑op increase, and subsequent decline with medication and time. All scales behaved as expected and correlated with one another, supporting their validity within the study’s limitations.

Abstract

We undertook to explore the validity of pain measurement tools for use in children in the postoperative period. The general approach was to determine the extent to which a measurement tool conformed with the clinical expectations about pain in the postoperative period; namely, that pain is low prior to surgery, increases following surgery, decreases with pain medication and decreases over time following surgery. In children aged 6 months to 3 years, we evaluated the CHEOPS and Observer pain scales. In children 3–6 years of age, we used the CHEOPS, Observer and Faces scale. In children 6–12 years of age, we studied the CHEOPS, Faces and visual analogue scales. In all instances, each of the scales conformed with the clinical expectations about pain following surgery. In addition, these scales were correlated with each other. Within the limitations of the measurement techniques used, these data provide support for the validity of the measurement tools evaluated.