Describe the importance of routine pain assessment in critically ill pediatric patients and explain the role of pain assessment as a component of ongoing patient evaluation.

Differentiate among commonly used pediatric pain assessment tools and select the most appropriate scale based on a patient's developmental age, communication ability, and clinical condition.

Apply validated pain assessment tools, including the FLACC scale, Wong-Baker FACES scale, Numeric Rating Scale, and Individualized Numeric Rating Scale, to objectively assess pain in pediatric patients.

Assess pain in sedated, intubated, nonverbal, or chemically paralyzed pediatric patients using physiologic and behavioral indicators when self-reporting is not possible.

Evaluate the effectiveness of pain management interventions through reassessment and interpretation of changes in pain scores, physiologic findings, and patient responses.