1 Before you use it
What it is
Six faces from smiling to crying, scored 0 to 10. The most widely recognised paediatric pain scale.
The smiling and crying anchors are its known weakness — they can capture mood and distress alongside pain.
When to reach for it
Paediatric presentations, particularly where the child already recognises the scale from elsewhere.
2 Giving it
Scoring
The child points to a face; score 0–10 in twos.
What it doesn’t measure
Function, or distinguish pain from distress.
3 Reading the score
Interpreting it
Interpret against the child's own baseline.
Prefer FPS-R where you have the choice, on the grounds that a neutral-to-distressed set measures pain more cleanly than a happy-to-crying one.
Is the change real?
Student trap. Assuming the crying face means severe pain. It might mean the child is frightened — which matters, but it isn't the same thing.
Official source: wongbakerfaces.org. We don't host the form.
This is a learning tool. It does not diagnose patients and does not replace your clinical educator.
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