Faces Pain Scale – Revised (FPS-R)

In the following instructions, say “hurt” or “pain,” whichever seems right for a particular child.

“These faces show how much something can hurt. This face [point to left-most face] shows no pain. The faces show more and more pain [point to each from left to right] up to this one [point to right-most face] – it shows very much pain. Point to the face that shows how much you hurt [right now].”

Score the chosen face 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10, counting left to right, so ‘0’ = ‘no pain’ and ‘10’ = ‘very much pain.’ Do not use words like ‘happy’ and ‘sad’. This scale is intended to measure how children feel inside, not how their
face looks.

Numerical/visual analogue scale (age three and older)

Children are asked to rate their pain on the scale.

Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC)

FLACC relies on behavioural indicators to assess pain. This tool is a checklist that guides the health care professional in examining the child’s behaviour in response to pain. This checklist was developed for children aged two to seven years for use after surgery or when experiencing sharp, acute pain during a procedure. It has been used and modified for non-verbal children who are older than 7 years.

Paediatric Pain Profile

Paediatric Pain Profile has been developed as a behaviour rating scale for assessing pain in children with severe physical and learning impairments. [1]