Pain Assessment

Patients may have pain whether they are able to describe it or not.  

Assessment for patients who can describe (assess) their pain:
Severity: 

• Pcurrent - current pain level 
  
• Pmax - highest level of pain since last visit 
  
• Pmin lowest pain level since last visit
  

Location
Quality (nociceptive, neuropathic, mixed)
Timeline: 

• Constant - pain remains at a relatively constant level, with some slight fluctuation
  
• Breakthrough (or constant with breakthrough) - periodic increases in intensity
  
• Incident pain or movement-related pain - sudden, short-lived, and usually severe
  

Effect of medications and other treatments (benefit and adverse reactions)
Psychosocial factors
Behavior and functional changes due to pain
Background medical history and physical exam