All 4 faces pain scales were found to be adequately supported by psychometric data .
When given a choice between faces scales , children preferred the WBFPRS .
Confounding of pain intensity with affect caused by use of smiling and crying anchor faces is a disadvantage of the WBFPRS .
: For clinical use , we found no grounds to switch from 1 faces scale to another when 1 of the scales is in use .
CONTEXT : Numerous faces scales have been developed for the measurement of  pain intensity in children .
It remains unclear whether any one of the faces scales is better for a particular purpose with regard to validity , reliability , feasibility , and preference .
OBJECTIVES : To summarize and systematic ally review faces pain scales most commonly used to obtain self-report of pain intensity in children for evaluation of reliability and validity and to compare the scales for preference and utility .
A Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate S-Caine Patch™ for Reducing Pain Associated with Vascular Access in Children
Background : A r and omized , double-blinded trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the S-Caine Patch ™ ( ZARS , Inc. , Salt Lake City , UT ) , a eutectic mixture of lidocaine and tetracaine , for pain relief during venipuncture in children . Methods : With institutional review board approval , parental consent , and patient assent , 64 children who were scheduled for medically indicated vascular access at two centers were r and omly assigned ( 2:1 ) to receive either an S-Caine Patch ™ or a placebo patch for 20 min before venipuncture procedures . The primary outcome measure was the child ’s rating of pain during venipuncture using the Oucher pain scale . Additional measures of efficacy included the blinded investigator ’s and an independent observer ’s four-point categorical scores . Variables were compared between treatments using Mantel – Haenszel summary chi-square tests or Pearson chi-square tests . Results : The S-Caine Patch ™ produced significantly greater pain relief compared with placebo ( median Oucher scores of 0 vs. 60 ; P < 0.001 ) . Fifty-nine percent of the children in the S-Caine Patch ™ group reported no pain compared with 20 % of the children in the placebo patch group . The investigator estimated that 76 % of the children in the S-Caine Patch ™ group experienced no pain during venipuncture versus 20 % in the placebo patch group ( P = 0.001 ) . Independent observer ratings also favored the S-Caine Patch ™ ( P < 0.001 ) . Mild skin erythema ( < 38 % ) and edema ( < 2 % ) occurred with similar frequencies between the groups . Conclusion : This study demonstrated that a 20-min application of the S-Caine Patch ™ is effective in lessening pain associated with venipuncture procedures . Adverse events after S-Caine Patch ™ application were mild and transient
All 4 faces pain scales were found to be adequately supported by psychometric data .
When given a choice between faces scales , children preferred the WBFPRS .
Confounding of pain intensity with affect caused by use of smiling and crying anchor faces is a disadvantage of the WBFPRS .
: For clinical use , we found no grounds to switch from 1 faces scale to another when 1 of the scales is in use .
CONTEXT : Numerous faces scales have been developed for the measurement of  pain intensity in children .
It remains unclear whether any one of the faces scales is better for a particular purpose with regard to validity , reliability , feasibility , and preference .
OBJECTIVES : To summarize and systematic ally review faces pain scales most commonly used to obtain self-report of pain intensity in children for evaluation of reliability and validity and to compare the scales for preference and utility .