What it means
The face shows feelings and pain even when a person cannot speak. Nurses watch facial expressions when they assess pain in babies, confused adults and clients on a ventilator, and when they assess mood and affect in mental health. The facial muscles are moved by cranial nerve VII (the facial nerve), so a face that droops on one side is an important neurological finding.
For the nurse
Pain scales for clients who cannot rate their pain, such as FLACC for young children, score the face along with body movement and crying.
At a glance
| Spanish | expresión facial |
|---|---|
| Also written | facial expressions |
Related terms
hemiplegia
Paralysis of one side of the body.