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The International Association for the Study of Pain

Co-Designing Pain Assessment for Children and Young People with Cerebral Palsy

Workshop

Workshop

11:15 am

04 October 2023

Room 501

Session Description

Chronic pain is a common comorbidity in children and young people with cerebral palsy with reported prevalence up to 77%, however it is poorly understood, identified and managed. Assessment of pain in people with cerebral palsy is challenging due to varying communication, cognitive, visual and functional abilities. Many existing pain assessment tools are inappropriate as they rely on the ability to self-report, are not feasible for those with complex communication needs or contain items requiring functional skills that may not be present, such as walking and running. This workshop will explore assessment tools suitable for assessing chronic pain for all people with cerebral palsy within a biopsychosocial framework, which aims to facilitate accurate identification, assessment beyond pain intensity, and ensure timely referral to multidisciplinary teams for best practice management. Adaptations to key assessment tools to ensure they are appropriate for use in cerebral palsy will be presented and discussed. ‘Hands on’ opportunity to apply the framework and tools to case-based clinical scenarios will be incorporated, including for children who are unable to self-report, those with complex communication needs and those with cognitive impairment. The workshop will be presented by clinician-researchers and people with lived experience of cerebral palsy. 

Moderators

Resources