The revised-Face, Leg, Activity, Cry, and Consolability scale: an Egyptian version

Abstract

Background Children with cerebral palsy lack the luxury of self-reporting their pain postoperatively. The revised FLACC (Face, Leg, Activity, Cry, and Consolability) pain scale is a behavioral pain assessment tool that is universally accepted for use in children with cognitive dysfunction. Objective The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Egyptian version of the revised FLACC (r-FLACC) scale for use in postoperative pain assessment in children with cerebral palsy. Patients and methods The study was carried out in Ain Shams University Pediatric Hospital on 30 children with cerebral palsy aged 3–12 years scheduled for open Nissen fundoplication. Pain was assessed at baseline, on arrival to postanesthesia care unit, and 30 min after administration of analgesia using the r-FLACC scale (by two independent caregivers) and the visual analog scale (by the child’s parent). Results The r-FLACC scores increased postoperatively and decreased after administration of analgesia (P Moderate to significant correlations between observers for total r-FLACC scores (P Conclusion The Egyptian version of the r-FLACC scale is a valid and reliable tool for postoperative pain assessment in Egyptian children with cerebral palsy.