What scale is used to evaluate pain in preverbal children?

• A. FLACC scale
• B. Numeric Rating Scale
• C. Wong-Baker FACES scale
• D. Oucher scale

Answer: (A)

Pain assessment for preverbal children must rely on observing behavior rather than asking them to rate their pain. The FLACC scale is designed for this situation because it measures pain through five observable domains: Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability. Each domain is scored from 0 to 2, and the scores are summed to yield a total between 0 and 10. A higher total indicates more pain. This approach is ideal for infants and very young children who cannot verbalize their pain or use a self-report scale.

Other scales require the child to communicate their pain level. The Numeric Rating Scale asks for a numeric self-rating, which isn’t feasible for preverbal children. The Wong-Baker FACES and Oucher scalesuse pictures to help children indicate pain, but they still rely on the child’s ability to understand and communicate, making them less suitable for preverbal ages.