Pain Assessment in 60 Seconds

Full transcript

When assessing a patient's pain, we use the PQRST framework — five letters that guide us through a complete and thorough pain evaluation. P stands for Provoking and Palliating — ask your patient what makes the pain worse, and equally important, what makes it better or brings any relief. Q stands for Quality — ask the patient to describe the pain in their own words. Is it sharp, stabbing, dull, or aching? Always document exactly what the patient says, with no interpretation. R stands for Region and Radiating — find out exactly where the pain is located, and whether it moves, spreads, or extends into any other area of the body. S stands for Severity — use a pain scale to rate the pain from zero to ten, and ask follow-up questions to understand how the intensity has changed or progressed over time. Finally, T stands for Timing — ask when the pain started, what the patient was doing at onset, whether it comes and goes, and how it compares to any previous episodes they may have experienced.