title: [Pain assessment in non-communicative patients].
abstract: Pain is a subjective experience. Its assessment is based on the subject's direct verbal report. This method of assessment is, however, impossible in patients who cannot communicate their feelings. In this context, indirect measurements such as behavioral observations or physiological measurements are needed. To facilitate the assessment of pain in non-communicative patients, numerous standardized behavioral scales have been developed. The aim of this review is to discuss the main validated pain scales employed in end-stage dementia, newborn and preverbal children, and severely brain damaged patients with a disorder of consciousness such as coma, the vegetative state or the minimally conscious state.
authors.affiliation: Coma Science Group, Centre de Recherches du Cyclotron, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgique.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chatelle
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vanhaudenhuyse
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Mergam
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Val
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majerus
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boly
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boveroux
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demertzi
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gosseries
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ledoux
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peigneux
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salmon
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moonen
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Faymonville
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laureys
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schnakers
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003704:Dementia; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*