Pain Assessment in the Outpatient Pediatric Burn Patient: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Background: There is no standardized practice in pediatric pain assessment with burn injuries in the outpatient clinic setting. Objective: This review aims to identify reliable, validated tools to measure pain in the pediatric burn clinic population. Methods: The literature search for this integrative review was conducted using the databases of PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane, and Embase from 2011 to 2023. Quality and relevance were appraised using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model. Reporting was done according to a Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis checklist. Results: Fourteen articles and two clinical practice guidelines met inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Conclusion: The Pain Observation Scale for Young Children and the COMFORT Behavior Scale tools have shown good reliability and construct validity and can be safely used to measure background and procedural pain in daily burn practice. Further research on reliable, validated pain assessment techniques in the pediatric burn population is needed.