BPS (Behavioral Pain Scale)
Behavioral Pain Scale (Payen 2001) for the ventilated patient: facial expression, upper-limb movements, and ventilator compliance each 1-4; total 3-12, > 5 unacceptable pain.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Facial expression
- 1
- Upper-limb movements
- 1
- Ventilator compliance
- 1
Result: BPS 3 of 12: acceptable pain per Payen 2001 (cutoff <=5).
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- 3-5
- Acceptable pain per Payen 2001 (cutoff <=5).
- >5
- Unacceptable pain per Payen 2001 (cutoff >5); review analgesia per SCCM PADIS 2018.
What you enter
- Facial expression (1 relaxed ... 4 grimacing)
- Upper-limb movements (1 none ... 4 permanently retracted)
- Ventilator compliance (1 tolerating ... 4 unable to control ventilation)
How this is calculated
Payen JF, Bru O, Bosson JL, et al. Assessing pain in critically ill sedated patients by using a behavioral pain scale. Crit Care Med. 2001;29(12):2258-2263. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.