Final answer:
To address inadequate pain management in the ICU, the PAD guideline subcommittee recommends utilizing scales like the CPOT for pain assessment in adult patients and the Wong-Baker Faces Scale for children.
Step-by-step explanation:
The underrecognition of pain in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a significant issue as indicated by postdischarge surveys where over 40% of patients reported inadequate pain management. To assess pain in ICU patients, the PAD (Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium) guideline subcommittee has recommended various scales.
One such tool is the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT), which is designed for use in patients, including those unable to communicate verbally. Additionally, for children undergoing procedures such as venipuncture, the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale can be used, which allows children to indicate their level of pain using a series of facial expressions correlated with a numerical scale. Other methods, like skin conductance fluctuations, offer an alternative to subjective reports by quantifying physiological responses to pain.