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Methods for Assessing Pain
Assessment of children's pain involves one or more of the following approaches: self-reports, proxy reports, observations, and physiologic measures. "Because physiologic indicators such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and diaphoresis alter with a variety of stress-arousal events, they should not be used as measures of pain in the absence of other pain assessment methods or clinical indicators."317 A variety of assessment methods are available, but no one approach provides a complete picture of the pain experience. At least one method that is reliable, valid, and developmentally appropriate to the child should be used regularly for assessing pain. Because children with cancer may need assessment in settings other than hospitals (e.g., their homes), the methods should be affordable and easy for parents or other caregivers to use.
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