Process / pipelineClinical scoring

Behavioral Pain Scale

The Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS), developed by Payen et al. in 2001, is a 12-point tool designed to assess pain in critically ill sedated or paralyzed patients who cannot communicate verbally. It evaluates facial expressions, upper limb movements, and ventilator compliance to quantify pain intensity despite sedation or neuromuscular blockade.

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Sources

  1. Payen, J. F., Bru, O., Bosson, J. L., et al. (2001). Assessing pain in critically ill sedated patients by using a behavioral pain scale. Critical Care Medicine, 29(12), 2258-2263. DOI: 10.1097/00003246-200112000-00004
  2. Gelinas, C., Fillion, L., Puntillo, K. A., Viens, C., & Fortier, M. (2006). Validation of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool in adult patients. American Journal of Critical Care, 15(4), 420-427. link

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Referenced by

ScholarGateBehavioral Pain Scale (Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) for Critically Ill Patients). Retrieved 2026-06-04 from https://scholargate.app/en/clinical-assessment/pain-assessment-behavioral-scale