Pain assessment tools for chronic lower limb wounds: A scoping review

Background Pain in chronic lower limb wounds has been identified as one of the most painful wounds and negatively impacts health-related quality of life and wound healing. In order to optimise pain management, it is necessary to accurately assess wound pain, however there is no identified reliable and valid assessment specifically for wound-related pain in the lower extremities. Objective The objective of this review was to identify how wound-related pain is assessed in people with chronic lower limb wounds. Design A scoping review of the literature was conducted. Methods A search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO was undertaken of eligible studies that reported on assessment tools for pain in chronic lower limb wounds from inception 1946 to current June 2018. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials, observational and qualitative studies were included. Discussion This study investigated the current assessment tools being utilised for pain in chronic lower limb wounds. Conclusion There is no validated pain assessment tool for patients with chronic lower limb wounds.