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:
Quality (nociceptive, neuropathic, mixed)
Timeline:
Psychosocial factors
Behavior and functional changes due to pain
Background medical history and physical exam
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
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
Psychosocial factors
Behavior and functional changes due to pain
Background medical history and physical exam