Skip to main content

Patient's Pain

Is the patient's pain assessed to be >3?

Assess the patient's comfort level using an age and developmentally appropriate pain scale.

Children's Mercy Kansas City uses the following pain scales and migraine guideline recommendations are based on use of these scales: 

  • FLACC-2 months to 7 years.

  • FLACCr-cognitively impaired patients of any age.

  • FACES-3 years and older.

  • Visual Analog Scale-6 years and older.

  • WAT-1-PICU intubated patients.

These pathways do not establish a standard of care to be followed in every case. It is recognized that each case is different, and those individuals involved in providing health care are expected to use their judgment in determining what is in the best interests of the patient based on the circumstances existing at the time. It is impossible to anticipate all possible situations that may exist and to prepare a pathway for each. Accordingly, these pathways should guide care with the understanding that departures from them may be required at times.