Pain Assessment

Pain assessment is a subjective piece of data that health care professionals collect during a patient assessment. Pain assessments are as important as taking a patient’s blood pressure, pulse and temperature; that is why pain has been coined the fifth vital sign within health care. Pain assessments should be made-

• On initial contact with the patient
• Whenever other vital signs are taken
• With any change in medical condition
• After providing treatment for pain
• With any complaints of unrelieved pain

When making an initial pain assessment it is important to assess for the following components-

Ten Components	Questions to Ask
History of onset	How or when did your pain begin? When was the last time you were pain free?
Location	Where exactly is you pain?
Quality	What does it feel like? (sharp, dull, burning)
Intensity	How would you rate your pain? (See tools)
Temporary Pattern	Is your pain constant or intermittent?
Aggravating Factors	What factors make your pain worse?
Alleviating Factors	What factors decrease your pain?
Associated Symptoms	What other sensations are associated with your pain? (nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakness)
Previous Methods of Treatment	What treatments have you tried for you pain? (medications, acupuncture, massage, herbal therapies) How effective have they been?
Impact of Pain on Quality of Life	What effect has your pain had on your quality of life? (mood, sleep, appetite, activities of daily living)