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A new digital self-assessment scale for pain in children Passed

Tuesday May 14, 2024 15:44 - 16:30 Poster Arena

Presenter: Angelica Höök

Track: Children and Youth, Posters

Poster can be found in location 3.

Background and aims.   Pain in children need to be recognized early and their self-report should be the primary source of information. Due to age and cognitive development, there may be challenging for children to communicate their symptoms. Previous studies have shown that children prefer digital tools for non-verbal communication regarding symptom management. The electronic Faces Thermometer Scale (eFTS) is a newly developed assessment scale, accessible through the mobile application Pictorial Support in Person-Centred Care for Children (PicPecc). The eFTS feature a universal design and uses colours, faces-emojis and numbers to display pain on an 11 graded scale. The aim of the study was to determine how children use eFTS when assessing hypothetical pain. Methods: A mixed methods design was used. The study was conducted at a university hospital in Sweden. Children between 8-17 years of age who visited the outpatient clinics were invited and 102 out of 124 children were included. Children were introduced to 17 pictures displaying different levels of pain and were asked to assess their hypothetical pain in each picture using eFTS. Analyses were made with descriptive, comparative statistics and content analyses. Results: There were a total of 1,734 assessments on hypothetical pain using eFTS. Analysis showed that the children used the entire scale when rating their hypothetical pain from no pain to high pain. Assessments were made using numbers, colours and faces-emojis. Each child chose their preference for assessment for each picture. The eFTS can differentiate between no pain and high pain. However, the younger children had difficulties to differentiate between low and moderate pain. Conclusion: The eFTS, an assessment scale accessible through a mobile application, shows potential to be used in pain assessments for children. As a part of PicPecc, eFTS may facilitate communication about different symptoms including pain, thus enabling person-centred care.  

Language

English

Seminar type

Poster

Conference

GCPCC

Authors

Angelica Höök, Charlotte Castor, Maria Björk, Emma Forsgren, Stefan Nilsson

Lecturers

Angelica Höök Presenter

University of Gothenburg