The Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) is a clinical calculator used in the critical care setting. It is specifically designed for assessing pain in patients who are unable to communicate their pain, such as those who are intubated, sedated, or unconscious. The CPOT evaluates four different aspects: facial expressions, body movements, muscle tension, and compliance with the ventilator for intubated patients or vocalization for extubated patients. Each category is scored from 0-2, with a total score ranging from 0-8. Higher scores indicate a higher level of pain. The clinical utility of the CPOT is to guide pain management in critically ill patients, ensuring adequate pain control and minimizing unnecessary use of analgesics. There are no specific exclusion criteria for its use, but it may be less accurate in patients with certain neurological conditions that affect facial expression or muscle tone.
Reference
Céline Gélinas, Caroline Arbour, Cécile Michaud et al. Implementation of the critical-care pain observation tool on pain assessment / management nursing practices in an intensive care unit with nonverbal critically ill adults: a before and after study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2011 Dec;48(12):1495-504.
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