Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale

The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (styled Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale) is a pain scale that was developed by Donna Wong and Connie Baker. The scale shows a series of faces ranging from a happy face at 0 which represents "no hurt" to a crying face at 10 which represents "hurts worst." Based on the faces and descriptions, the patient chooses the face that best describes their level of pain.[1]

The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale is based on a numeric pain rating scale from 0-10, with zero being no pain and 10 being the worst pain imaginable. The scale includes numbers, faces (visual representation), and written descriptions. There are 6 faces in the Wong-Baker Pain Scale. The first face represents a pain score of 0 and indicates "no hurt." The second face represents a pain score of 2 and indicates "hurts a little bit." The third face represents a pain score of 4 and indicates "hurts a little more." The fourth face represents a pain score of 6 and indicates "hurts even more." The fifth face represents a pain score of 8 and indicates "hurts a whole lot" and the sixth face represents a pain score of 10 and indicates "hurts worst."[2]

This pain scale was originally developed for children, however it can be used for all ages and children as young as 3 years old. It is a useful pain scale for children because many children may not understand rating their pain on a scale of 0-10, but are able to understand the cartoon faces and the emotions they represent and point to the one that best matches their level of pain. This pain scale is also appropriate for patients who do not know how to count and those who may have impaired brain function. Cultural sensitivity of the scale was also assessed to determine its applicability and acceptance across different cultures and "research supports cultural sensitivity of FACES for Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Thai, Chinese, and Japanese children."[2]

References

2.

Hockenberry, M.J., Wilson, D. (2015) Pain Assessment and Management in Children. In Hockenberry, M.J., Wilson, D. (2015), Wong’s Nursing Care of Infants and Children (p. 155). St. Louis, MO: Mosby, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.

  1. Coté, Charles J.; Jerrold Lerman; I. David Todres (2009). A practice of anesthesia for infants and children. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 940. ISBN 978-1-4160-3134-5.
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