Final answer:
The FLACC pain rating scale is used to assess pain in non-verbal individuals, such as infants or those with cognitive impairments. It evaluates criteria like facial expression, leg movement, activity level, crying, and consolability to determine the level of pain. This scale is commonly used in healthcare settings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) pain rating scale is a scale used to assess pain in individuals who are unable to communicate their pain verbally, such as infants, young children, or individuals with cognitive impairments. The scale evaluates five criteria: facial expression, leg movement, activity level, crying, and consolability. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 2, and the scores are added together to determine the overall level of pain. This scale is commonly used in healthcare settings to monitor and manage pain in non-verbal patients.