Using Pictures to Assess Pain Location in Children

Abstract

Purpose: This study uses the Pain Area Locator (PAL) tool, a picture communication aid with body and medical equipment icons, to identify pain location in postoperative pediatric patients and assesses discrepancies between nurses' pain location assessment and pain location identified using the PAL tool.

Design: This descriptive study used a quantitative, comparative design, with a convenience sample of pediatric postoperative patients undergoing same-day surgeries at a free-standing, acute care, Magnet designated pediatric hospital.

Methods: The child's pain location was assessed by asking the child to point to one of the 12 pictures on the PAL tool of where they hurt.

Findings: All 41 (100%) of the postoperative children in the study demonstrated ability to use the PAL tool. The child identified a pain location in 34 assessments (83%) when the nurse documented no pain location.

Conclusions: This investigation expands on previous evidence supporting that children can use the PAL tool to identify the pain location postoperatively.

Keywords: pain location; pediatric; picture communication aids; postanesthesia care unit; research.