Question

A nurse is caring for a 6-year old child who received ketorolac IV for pain. Which of the following pain scales should the nurse use to document the effectiveness of the medication?

a) Wong-Baker FACES Scale
b) Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)
c) FLACC Scale
d) Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

Answer 1

The nurse should use the Wong-Baker FACES Scale to document the effectiveness of the medication.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse should use the Wong-Baker FACES Scale to document the effectiveness of the medication. The Wong-Baker FACES Scale is a pain scale specifically designed for children and relies on facial expressions to assess pain. It consists of a series of faces with different expressions, ranging from a happy face to a crying face, and the child selects the face that best represents their level of pain.

The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) is a pain scale that uses numbers to rate pain intensity, typically asking the child to rate their pain on a scale from 0 to 10. The FLACC Scale is another pain scale commonly used for assessing pain in young children or those with developmental delays. It assesses pain based on five domains: facial expression, leg movement, activity level, cry, and consolability. Lastly, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) is a pain scale that uses a line and asks the child to mark their pain level on the line.

Given the age of the child and the use of IV ketorolac, the Wong-Baker FACES Scale would be the most appropriate pain scale to use.