Clinical tools for the assessment of pain in sedated critically ill adults.

AIM: This paper aims to review the evidence regarding pain assessment tools for sedated patients and to establish whether the use of a tool can be recommended in practice.

BACKGROUND: Pain assessment is a challenging area of critical care nursing practice, particularly among sedated patients. Tools to aid in assessing pain among this patient group have been developed and tested recently.

SEARCH STRATEGY: In this systematic review five papers that tested pain assessment tools for sedated patients are discussed. These papers were identified via the CINAHL and MEDLINE databases using the search terms: 'pain assessment' and 'sedated' or 'unconscious' or 'critically ill' or 'critical illness' or 'critical care'.

CONCLUSIONS: The Behavioural Pain Scale (BPS) has been tested among the broadest range of patients and was found to be a reliable and valid tool in three studies. Research is needed to further demonstrate the reliability and validity of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT), as the paper of Gelinas et al. did not test its internal consistency and domain structure. The CPOT also needs testing among different critical care populations. The design of Odhner et al. study did not allow adequate testing of the Non-verbal Pain Scale (NVPS).

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The implementation of the BPS can be recommended in intensive care units and may improve the management of pain among sedated patients by providing a systematic and consistent approach to pain assessment to guide interventions. The CPOT may also prove useful in assessing pain among sedated patients, but first requires further validation. Also, further research is needed into the effects of pain assessment tools on pain management practices and patient outcomes.