The Clinical journal of pain
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Infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are routinely subject to a range of painful procedures. However, pain assessments in NICUs are under-utilized due to a lack of a gold standard pain measure. In this study we assessed the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the COVERS and Pain Assessment Tool (PAT), in a neonatal unit. ⋯ This study builds on evidence for the COVERS scale and the PAT; both scales were reliable and valid measures of acute pain in neonates as premature as 24-week gestational age.