MDCalc

Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT)

Rates critically ill patients’ pain based on clinical observation.

Intubated?
Facial expression
Body movements
Muscle tension

Result:

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Advice
  • The CPOT is designed to scale the pain of patients who are unable to report it themselves through objective findings.
  • The CPOT has good interrater reliability in multiple studies and high sensitivity when patients are in pain.
Management

For those patients with a CPOT score of ≤ 2:

  • There is likely minimal to no pain present. Consider re-evaluation in the future.

For those patients with a CPOT score of >2:

  • There is an unacceptable level of pain. Consider further or alternative analgesia and sedation.
Critical Actions

Regular re-evaluation is crucial to appropriate pain management.

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