The TICkLeS (TICLS) Mnemonic for Pediatric Assessment

If you know me, you know that I’m a sucker for good, useful mnemonics for prehospital care. Since we’ve been discussing pediatric assessment lately, I thought it might be a good time to review an excellent mnemonic tool for pediatric assessment. That tool is the tickles (TICLS) mnemonic. The tickles assessment is a cornerstone of the PEPP (Pediatric Emergencies for Prehospital Professionals) pediatric assessment triangle. It’s also strongly endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. (APP) When you make initial contact with a pediatric patient, think about the five elements of the TICLS mnemonic as part of your initial assessment. They will give you a solid stating point when developing an initial impression. Here they are: T is for Tone Is the child active or listless? Does the child physically engage with you or do they remain limp and allow you to move them like a puppet or a doll. When you place a finger or object in the child’s hand, do they attempt to grab it or do they allow it to lie in their open hand? Babies normally lose their head-lag by three months. Does the child support the weight of their own head when picked up or do they allow their head to fall back against a supporting object? I is for Interactiveness Does the child want to play and interact with you? Does the child primarily want their eyes open or closed? If they are frightened of you, do they attempt to actively avoid you? Can you gain the child’s interest and engage t...
Source: The EMT Spot - Category: Ambulance Crew Authors: Tags: Assessment slider Source Type: blogs