CRITICAL-CARE PAIN OBSERVATION TOOL IN CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS

To the Editor:

The recent report on "dysmenor critical-care pain observation tool (CPOT) in critically ill patients" is very interesting.1 Buttes et al1 reported that "the CPOT is an acceptable behavioral pain assessment scale for use in the general critical care patient population." In fact, there are many concerns on CPOT. First, the tool still has some limitations in some scenarios. Gelinas and Johnston2 noted that it is needed to explore the value of CPOT in critically ill populations especially for those with head injuries. Second, it seems that the CPOT is a difficult-to-use tool. Gelinas et al3 also showed that communication among nurses referring to CPOT was difficult and not successful. Other comparable tool such as nonverbal pain scale might be easier to use.4 To use the CPOT, it requires special training and time to be familiar with the tool.3

Viroj Wiwanitkit, MD

Visiting Professor

Hainan Medical University, China

Faculty of Medicine

University of Nis, Serbia

Adjunct Professor

Joseph Ayobabalola University, Nigeria

[email protected]

References