The presence of pain is a common phenomenon among patients in intensive care units (ICUs). This is due to the severity and pathophysiology of the disease and because of the invasive therapies and procedures to which the patient is subjected. In practice, assessing the pain experience in ICU environment is not a simple process, since most patients are unable to communicate due to the severity of their illness, or due to conditions such as mechanical ventilation (MV), sedation and a lowered level of consciousness Therefore, in this group of patients, it is important to consider the somatic and physiological equivalents of pain, which translate into specific signs and behaviors. To this end, standardized tools for assessing pain in noncommunicative and sedated patients have been developed. Although pain is reported as a frequent condition in the ICU and the tools to measure it are available, the inconsistent use of pain assessment scales in ICUs has resulted in a non-routine and inaccurate assessment of this vital sign and thus its inadequate control. At the same time, studies have identified that underdiagnosed pain can be associated with a series of adverse outcomes, including increased infection rates, prolonged MV, hemodynamic disturbances, delirium and compromised immunity

Iura Gonzalez-Alves holds a degree in Physiotherapy and has obtained both a Master's and a Ph.D. in Health Sciences from the Federal University of Sergipe, Brazil. She leads the Research Group on Functionality, Disability, and Health in Respiratory Dysfunction (GPFIS) registered in the CNPq Directory, affiliated with both the Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health (EBMSP) and the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA). She is also a member of the Physiotherapy Research Group listed in the CNPq Directory at UFBA and serves as a PIBIC advisor at EBMSP. Dr. Gonzalez-Alves has significant experience as an Intensive Care Physiotherapist, having worked in the Neurotrauma ICU at the Emergency Hospital of Sergipe (FHS) and as the Coordinator of the Intensive Care Unit at the Arena Fonte Nova Field Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, she is a professor at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and the Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health (EBMSP). She works in the field of Pulmonary Rehabilitation at the UFBA Physiotherapy School Clinic and the CORE Pulmonary Rehabilitation Service.