International journal of nursing studies
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Common pain assessment tools might not be the suitable tools to measure ventilated, critically ill patients' pain. The Behavioral Pain Scale measures observable behavior indicative of pain experienced by mechanically ventilated patients. ⋯ The Chinese-language version of the Behavior Pain Scale was shown to be reliable and valid for adult patients on mechanical ventilation in medical intensive care units when exposed to rest, a non-painful procedure, and a painful procedure. An assessment tool including pain-related observable indicators can be used as one source to assess a patient's pain, especially with ventilated or non-communicative patients.