Which pain scale is commonly used for children who can report their pain verbally?

• A. FLACC scale
• B. Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale
• C. Numeric Rating Scale 0-10
• D. Faces Pain Scale-Revised

Answer: (B)

When a child can tell you how their pain feels, you rely on self-report scales to measure pain intensity. The Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale is commonly used in this situation because it gives the child a simple, visual way to express how much pain they’re feeling by choosing a face that matches their experience. The faces range from a happy, no-pain expression to a tearful, worst-pain expression, and the child’s chosen face aligns with a numeric rating. This makes it easy for kids who are verbal to translate their subjective pain into a rating that you can document and track over time, even if their reading skills are limited.

In contrast, the FLACC scale is observational and used when the child cannot report pain verbally, since it relies on behavior you observe. The Numeric Rating Scale 0-10 requires the child to understand and report a number, which isn’t as intuitive for younger children. The Faces Pain Scale-Revised is another face-based option similar to Wong-Baker, but the Wong-Baker scale is a widely used, straightforward choice for kids who can verbalize their pain.