Validation of the Italian version of Behavioral Pain Scale in sedated, intubated, and mechanically ventilated pediatric patients

Background and aim of the work: Pain assessment in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a demanding challenge. The Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) is considered the gold standard for pain assessment in deeply sedated, mechanically ventilated adult patients. The BPS has been validated in Italian, requires a short observation time and does not increase workloads. A first evaluation of BPS was made in PICU with good results regarding face validity and content validity. However further studies are requested given the small sample on which it was tested. The aim of this study was the validation of the BPS in sedated, intubated, and mechanically ventilated pediatric patients. Methods: A descriptive, comparative design was used. A convenience sample of 84 non-verbal, sedated and mechanically ventilated critical care pediatric patients was included. Patient pain was assessed concurrently with three observational scales (BPS, COMFORT-B, NRS) before, during and after routine procedures that are considered painful and non-painful. Results: Internal consistency was α =. 86. Correlations between BPS and the other instruments were high, demonstrating a good concurrent validity of the BPS. T test and assessment of ROC curves demonstrated also a good discriminant validity of the BPS. Conclusions: The BPS proved to be valid and reliable for the assessment of pain also in the use with pediatric patients. (www.actabiomedica.it)