Which pain scale should be used when assessing pain in an infant?

The FLACC scale is specifically designed for assessing pain in infants and young children who are unable to verbally communicate their discomfort. This scale evaluates pain through observable behaviors, looking at five criteria: Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability. Each of these criteria is scored from 0 to 2, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 10. The FLACC scale is particularly useful because it focuses on non-verbal indicators of pain, making it appropriate for infants who may not yet have the language skills to express their feelings effectively.

In contrast, the FACES scale is better suited for older children who can understand and correlate faces representing different levels of pain with their own experience. The Oucher scale, while also pictorial, is appropriate for children over 3 years who can relate to photographs of faces showing varying expressions of pain. The Numeric scale is generally used for older children and adults who can assign a number to their pain level, typically starting from age 8 or older. Therefore, the FLACC scale is the most suitable choice for assessing pain in infants due to its reliance on observable behaviors rather than self-reporting.