RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Pain in young children attending an accident and emergency department JF Journal of Accident & Emergency Medicine JO Arch Emerg Med FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine SP 265 OP 267 DO 10.1136/emj.17.4.265 VO 17 IS 4 A1 Clare McCarthy A1 Susie Hewitt A1 Imti Choonara YR 2000 UL http://emj.bmj.com/content/17/4/265.abstract AB Objectives—To assess pain in young children presenting to an accident and emergency (A&E) department. To evaluate the use of the toddler-preschooler postoperative pain scale (TPPPS) and the use of analgesia in these children. Methods—100 children aged 1–5 years presenting to an A&E department were assessed for pain. Pain assessments were carried out using a modified form of the TPPPS; a visual analogue scale by parents and a numerical scale by nursing staff. Results—The majority of children were assessed as having pain: 60 by the TPPPS, 58 by the nurses and 63 by parents. Only 30 children, however, received analgesia. Children with the highest pain scores as assessed by nursing staff or using the TPPPS all received analgesia. Conclusions—The pain scale appears suitable for use in young children in A&E departments. The subsequent management of pain in young children could be improved.