CRIES Pain Scale
Make use of the CRIES Pain Scale in order to determine if a postoperative newborn child is in pain. The results should help you determine what to do in order to assuage their pain.
Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.
What is the CRIES Pain Scale?
The Crying Requires oxygen Increased vital signs Expression Sleep Pain Scale (CRIES Pain Scale for short) is a valuable tool doctors use to assess the pain level a postoperative newborn child may feel. These scales are also used on infants that had to undergo operations.
Given that newborns and infants are unable to express themselves through speech, they typically show that they are in pain and experiencing discomfort through their facial expressions and crying. The will be used to put a number on the level of pain that the child is feeling by looking at how they cry, what their facial expressions are like, what their vital signs are like, and if they can sleep.
CRIES Pain Scale Template
CRIES Pain Scale Example
How to use the CRIES Pain Scale:
You just need to assess the pain based on certain parameters.
The CRIES Pain Scale isn’t complicated to use. You simply just need to pick the proper designations based on the following:
- Are they crying?
- Not crying = 0 points
- Crying but not high-pitched = 0 points
- High-pitched crying but the infant is consolable = 1 point
- The infant is inconsolable = 2 points
- Do they require oxygen to keep oxygen saturation?
- No = 0 points
- <= 30% supplemental oxygen required to keep oxygen saturation > 95% = 1 point
- > 30% supplemental oxygen required to keep oxygen saturation > 95% = 2 points
- Is there an increase in their vital signs?
- Their heart rate and mean blood pressure less than or equal to preoperative values = 0 points
- Their heart rate OR mean blood pressure increased but <= 20% from preoperative levels = 1 point
- Their heart rate OR mean blood pressure increased > 20% from preoperative levels = 2 points
- What is their expression?
- None = 0 points
- Grimace = 1 point
- Grimace with grunting = 2 points
- Are they able to sleep?
- Yes = 0 points
- Wakes at frequent intervals = 1 point
- Constantly awake = 2 points
Tally the scores.
Next, you need to calculate the total score. The minimum score is 0. The maximum score is 10.
The higher the score is, the more likely it is that the infant is experiencing a greater subjective expression of pain.
Come up with the care plan.
The last thing you need to do is develop an appropriate care plan for the infant based on their total score on the CRIES Pain Scale.
If the total score is above 3, you should monitor the neonate now and then using the CRIES Pain Scale. If they score above 6, you still need to watch them, but you must also administer analgesics to help ease the pain.
When is it best to use the CRIES Pain Scale?
Since this is primarily for postoperative neonates, it’s best to use this as soon as they start to express discomfort through crying or through their facial expressions so that they can be treated accordingly and immediately.
While this is meant for newborns, it can also be used for infants undergoing operational procedures. You can assess the level of pain they are feeling after an operation and determine the kind of care to give the infants in order to relieve them of their pain.
Who can use the CRIES Pain Scale?
The following healthcare practitioners can use the CRIES Pain Scale for their practice:
- Neonatologists
- Pediatricians
- Nurses
- General Practitioners
Any practitioner that specializes in providing care for newborns and infants can benefit from using this scale.
What are the benefits of using the CRIES Pain Scale?
Speaking of benefits, here are some reasons you should include this assessment for your neonatal-related work:
It’s a good tool that helps practitioners gauge neonates and infants.
Since newborns and infants can’t speak to convey their feelings of pain and discomfort, the CRIES Pain Scale sets the parameters for practitioners to observe, so they don’t have to stress about finding ways to assess a newborn or infant’s pain.
It can help shape what goes into a pain management plan for the child.
Once you have completed the sheet, you should be able to determine what you need to include in the care plan. This will allow you to facilitate the intervention and actionable steps needed to curb the newborn or infant’s pain and ensure it does not worsen under your care.
It can be used to monitor the child’s pain over time.
Even if you have implemented a pain management plan for newborns or infants, it does not mean they will not experience pain or discomfort again while under your care. So reusing this pain scale is a good way to monitor them for any signs of pain and discomfort.
It can also be used to determine if your pain management plan needs tweaking.
To jump off the point that using the scale is a good way to monitor the child over time, reusing it should also help you see if your pain management plan is working. If they still experience pain after implementing a pain management plan, you probably have to make some adjustments.
Commonly asked questions
Yes. It gives practitioners a semblance of objectivity by assigning specific scores for specific parameters. This will give them something to work with because their pain management care plans will be shaped by the specific parameters they ticked and the overall pain score they got as a result of adding up the scores. It’s also widely used in neonatal care.
That depends on the newborn and the CRIES Pain Scale results. If they score above 3, you might want to use this several times to monitor the neonate properly. If they score above 6, not only do you need to keep monitoring the child, but you must also use analgesics to help relieve their pain.
Normally, it takes only 1 to 2 minutes to finish. The parameters can be scored based on observation. The only part of the scale that may take some time is checking their vital signs. As long as you have the equipment to check their vital signs ready, you should be able to finish in 2 minutes.
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