Color Analog Scale: A Reliable Measure of Pain in Children

This simple self-assessment tool might be useful for evaluation of traumatic or nontraumatic pain in children.

Various tools are used to satisfy the Joint Commission’s pain assessment requirement; however, many tools used to measure pain in children have limitations. The color analog scale (CAS) has been shown to be a valid pain measurement tool for use in children aged 5 years and older, but its reliability has not been established. The CAS resembles a ruler, with one side showing a wedge-shaped figure filled with color that gradually progresses from white to red as the figure widens and the other side showing corresponding numerical ratings from 1 to 10 cm, divided into 0.25-cm increments.

These authors assessed reliability of the CAS in a convenience sample of 170 children aged 5 to 16 years who presented to a pediatric emergency department with t…

Reviewing Author

Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardSecurisyn

Editorial boardsThe Merck Manuals (Home and Physician Editions)

Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardSecurisyn

Editorial boardsThe Merck Manuals (Home and Physician Editions)