Assessing pain in children is one of nurses’ most difficult tasks and provides the foundation for efficient pain management. Young children lack the verbal skills to describe their experience of pain and they also have problems in differentiating pain from other unpleasant experiences. The aim of this study was to review current research regarding pain assessment in children. A literature search was carried out in the CINAHL and Medline databases, using the search words «pain assessment», «pain measurement», «pain rating scales», «children» and «nursing» and was limited to the years 1997–2002. Twelve articles satisfied the inclusion criteria and were analysed. The results are highlighted in five areas: Assessment of pain in children; Assessment of pain in infants; Tools and scales for assessing pain; Factors influencing the nurse’s assessment of pain; pain assessment as a basis of efficient pain therapy. The results of the study point to problems in pain assessment and the importance of children’s pain being adequately assessed. Accordingly, it is of utmost importance when possible to be able to take into account the individual child’s experience of pain.