The revised FLACC observational pain tool: improved reliability and validity for pain assessment in children with cognitive impairment.
BACKGROUND
Difficulty with pain assessment in individuals who cannot self-report their pain poses a significant barrier to effective pain management. However, available assessment tools lack consistent reliability as pain measures in children with cognitive impairment (CI). This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the revised and individualized Face Legs Activity Cry and Consolability (FLACC) behavioral pain assessment tool in children with CI.


METHODS
Children with CI scheduled for elective surgery were studied. The FLACC was revised to include specific descriptors and parent-identified, unique behaviors for individual children. The child's ability to self-report pain was evaluated. Postoperatively, two nurses scored pain using the revised FLACC scale before and after analgesic administration, and, children self-reported a pain score, if able. Observations were videotaped and later viewed by experienced nurses blinded to analgesic administration.


RESULTS
Eighty observations were recorded in 52 children aged 4-19 years. Twenty-one parents added individualized pain behaviors to the revised FLACC. Interrater reliability was supported by excellent intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC, ranging from 0.76 to 0.90) and adequate kappa statistics (0.44-0.57). Criterion validity was supported by the correlations between FLACC, parent, and child scores (rho = 0.65-0.87; P < 0.001). Construct validity was demonstrated by the decrease in FLACC scores following analgesic administration (6.1 +/- 2.6 vs 1.9 +/- 2.7; P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Findings support the reliability and validity of the FLACC as a measure of pain in children with CI.
Department of Anesthesiology, Section of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Health Systems, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0211, USA. smalviya@umich.edu
Shobha
S
Malviya
Terri
T
Voepel-Lewis
Constance
C
Burke
Sandra
S
Merkel
Alan R
AR
Tait
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D003448:Crying; D002658:Developmental Disabilities; D005149:Facial Expression; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results