Assessment of pain in the critically ill

Self-report, the gold standard for pain assessment, is a challenge when critically ill patients have difficulty communicating with the nursing staff. Researchers have begun to investigate how critical care nurses assess pain in the ICU, using a small number of assessment tools. This article reviews the literature related to pain assessment in the critically ill and offers recommendations for pain assessment, including adaptation of a variety of pain measures to the specific needs and abilities of this population. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company