Based on available evidence , the NRS-11 , FPS-R , and CAS were strongly recommended for self-report of acute pain .
Only weak recommendations could be made for self-report measures for postoperative and chronic pain .
No measures were recommended for children younger than 6 years , identifying a need for further measurement refinement in this age range .
Abstract In 2006 , PAIN published a systematic review of the measurement properties of self-report pain intensity measures  in children and adolescents ( Stinson JN , Kavanagh T , Yamada J , Gill N , Stevens B. Systematic review of the psychometric properties , interpretability and feasibility of self-report pain intensity measures for use in clinical trials in children and adolescents .
Key developments in pediatric pain necessitate an up date of this work , most notably growing use of the 11-point numeric rating scale ( NRS-11 ) .
Our aim was to review the measurement properties of single-item self-report pain intensity measures in children 3 to 18 years old .
A secondary aim was to develop evidence -based recommendations for measurement of child and adolescent self-report of acute , postoperative , and chronic pain .
Simple pain rating scales hide complex idiosyncratic meanings
& NA ; Assumptions of reliability and consistency of self‐report of pain by patients using visual analogue scales ( VAS ) and numerical rating scales ( NRS )  are based on narrow considerations of possible sources of error . This study examined patients ’ use of  VASs and NRSs  , by their own description , with particular attention to rating of multiple pains , of different dimensions of pain , and of interpretation and use of lower and upper endpoints and increments on the scales . These have implication s for the approximation of the scales to psychometric requirements . An interview developed from a small pilot project was given to 78 volunteer chronic pain patients embarking on a pain management course , and consisted of both forced choice questions and free response . Data are described with reference to lack of concordance between patients and of consistency within patients ; responses suggested that ratings incorporate multiple partially differentiated dimensions of pain , with particular importance placed on function or mobility . Labels assigned to scale endpoints by research ers , whether lexical or numerical , appeared to affect their use ; however , covert relabelling of scale points was revealed in free response . The action of arriving at a rating is better conceptualised as an attempt to construct meaning , influenced by and with reference to a range of internal and external factors and private meanings , rather than as a task of matching a distance or number to a discrete internal stimulus
Based on available evidence , the NRS-11 , FPS-R , and CAS were strongly recommended for self-report of acute pain .
Only weak recommendations could be made for self-report measures for postoperative and chronic pain .
No measures were recommended for children younger than 6 years , identifying a need for further measurement refinement in this age range .
Abstract In 2006 , PAIN published a systematic review of the measurement properties of self-report pain intensity measures  in children and adolescents ( Stinson JN , Kavanagh T , Yamada J , Gill N , Stevens B. Systematic review of the psychometric properties , interpretability and feasibility of self-report pain intensity measures for use in clinical trials in children and adolescents .
Key developments in pediatric pain necessitate an up date of this work , most notably growing use of the 11-point numeric rating scale ( NRS-11 ) .
Our aim was to review the measurement properties of single-item self-report pain intensity measures in children 3 to 18 years old .
A secondary aim was to develop evidence -based recommendations for measurement of child and adolescent self-report of acute , postoperative , and chronic pain .