Open AccessCan computer‐based assessment help us understand children's pain?
Author(s) -
Calam R. M.,
Jimmieson P.,
Cox A. D.,
Glasgow D. V.,
Larsen S. Groth
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
european journal of anaesthesiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.445
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2346
pISSN - 0265-0215
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2346.2000.00655.x
Subject(s) - medicine , facial expression , pain assessment , pain catastrophizing , pain management , cognitive psychology , physical therapy , chronic pain , artificial intelligence , psychology , computer science
Good measures for self‐report of pain in children are important, particularly as other informants tend to underestimate children's pain. This paper describes the development of a new computer‐assisted approach to assessment of pain in children. The child can represent a range of different types of pains on body maps, and use two scales to indicate the size of the pain and the ‘throb’ or intensity. Facial expressions of associated emotions can also be incorporated into the figure. A series of ‘pain pages’ is included in the program. The pages allow changes in pain to be tracked over time, building up a cumulative record. The child can also report on different experiences and give retrospective accounts. Potential applications are suggested, for example in facilitating communication with children who find it difficult to give a clear verbal account of their pain, due to emotional difficulties, language or disability. Research directions are outlined.