Page 193 - BSAVA Guide to Pain Management in Small Animal Practice

Appendix

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Pain scales

Introduction ■ Colorado Acute Canine Pain Scale
■ Colorado Acute eline Pain Scale
For all pain scales, training will improve the ■ UNESP Botucatu ultidimensional
probability and consistency of pain Composite Pain Scale Short orm
identi cation. All team members involved in ■ lasgow Composite easure Pain Scale
patient care should understand the importance (Canine – Short Form)
of pain scoring and all patients that have ■ lasgow Composite easure Pain Scale
undergone painful procedures should be eline .
assessed for pain. he scales are designed to
decrease subjectivity in pain scores and, to best
support that goal, the pain assessment
protocols must be followed. It is best if the Using pain scales and scoring
same person scores the patient at each systems
assessment time, but this is not always possible. A patient’s pain score is a composite of
he assessments should be repeated at multidimensional factors such as behaviour,
scheduled times, and extra assessments body postures, facial grimaces and (for
added at ‘important’ times, such as after some scales) physiological parameters that
treatment. he interval between assessments might indicate pain.
should not automatically be set at a ■ Change in behaviour between pre- and
predetermined interval for all patients, but post-painful stimulus is the most
should be based on the nature of the pain i.e. consistent indicator of the presence of
acute or chronic), the intensity of the pain, and pain.
the patient s response to analgesic therapy. ■ When in doubt as to whether or not a
See Chapter for more information. patient is in pain, the default is to
administer analgesia and reassess their
Commonly used pain scales for cats and comfort level.
dogs are included in this Appendix
188 BSAVA Guide to Pain Management in Small Animal Practice. Edited by Ian Self. ©BSAVA 2019

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