COMFORT-B Behavioral Scale (pediatric sedation)

COMFORT-B behavioral sedation scale (van Dijk 2005): alertness, calmness, respiratory response/crying, movement, muscle tone, and facial tension each 1-5.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Alertness
3
Calmness / agitation
3
Respiratory response or crying
3
Physical movement
3
Muscle tone
3
Facial tension
3

Result: COMFORT-B 18 of 30: adequate sedation per van Dijk 2005.

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

<11
Over-sedation - consider lightening.
11-22
Adequate sedation - within target band.
>22
Inadequate sedation / distress - assess pain and sedation needs.

What you enter

  • Alertness (1-5)
  • Calmness / agitation (1-5)
  • Respiratory response or crying (1-5)
  • Physical movement (1-5)
  • Muscle tone (1-5)
  • Facial tension (1-5)
How this is calculated

van Dijk M, Peters JWB, van Deventer P, Tibboel D. The COMFORT Behavior Scale: a tool for assessing pain and sedation in infants. Am J Nurs. 2005;105(1):33-36. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

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Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.