Question

What are the pain scales for different age groups?

1) Younger than 4: ______
2) Ages 4-7: ______
3) 8 and older: ______

Answer 1

Pain scales vary by age; for children <4, observational scales like the FLACC are used, ages 4-7 can use the Wong-Baker Faces Scale, and those 8+ can use the numeric rating scale.

Step-by-step explanation:

For children younger than 4 years old, pain scales are typically based on observational methods since these children are often not able to articulate their pain effectively. These can include the FLACC scale, which stands for Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability. For children ages 4-7, self-reporting scales like the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale can be used. This scale includes a series of faces that range from a happy face at 0, indicating 'no hurt', to a crying face at 10, indicating 'hurts worst'. For those aged 8 and older, more conventional scales like the numeric rating scale can be used, where children are asked to rate their pain on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain).