Perceived exertion and dyspnea in pediatrics: a review of rating scales

Abstract

Design of the study: literature review. Objective: to review and present different scales used to evaluate the perceived exertion and dyspnea in children and adolescents. Methodology: a literature review to researching in the electronic databases: Medline / PubMed and SPORTDiscus (EBSCO), no date restriction in the period of February to May 2013.Used the following keywords: child, Perceived exertion, dyspnea, scale. Publications that used and validated perceived exertion and / or dyspnea scales specific to children and adolescents were considered. Results: 154 studies were found, of which 12 were included in this review. Were identified a total of 15 validated scales in English and one in Portuguese, with the majority of them to build on the Borg scale. Each has its own peculiarities, considering the type of exercise and activity to be performed, the clinical situation to be assessed and the child’s age. Its proper application can portray reliable information and facilitate the active participation of this age group during different activities, assisting in the care and science. Conclusions: there is no scale considered the gold standard so far. All scales are elaborated with figures, verbal and numerical descriptors, to facilitate understanding of the children and allow them to have their own understanding of dyspnea and effort.