1 Pain Assessment and Treatment Goals Free Online FlashCards

What pain mechanism is associated with damage to non-neural tissue?

Nociceptive pain is associated with actual or threatened damage to non-neural tissue, such as a sprained ankle hurting when weight is placed on swollen tissue.

What pain mechanism can cause burning and tingling from diabetic nerve damage?

Neuropathic pain is caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system; diabetic nerve damage causing burning or tingling is an example.

What is nociplastic pain?

Nociplastic pain arises from altered nociception without clear evidence that tissue damage or a somatosensory nervous system lesion fully explains it.

Can a person’s pain involve more than one mechanism?

More than one pain mechanism may contribute to a person’s pain.

How should a patient’s self-reported pain be treated?

Take the patient’s self-report seriously. Observed behavior may add information, but a calm appearance alone does not disprove reported pain.

What should a patient-centered pain assessment explore?

Ask about location, quality, timing, aggravating and relieving factors, severity, and effects on sleep, activity, mood, or other personally important tasks.

What three areas does the PEG scale assess?

PEG assesses pain intensity, interference with enjoyment of life, and interference with general activity.

What is the mean PEG score for ratings of $6$, $7$, and $5$?

The mean PEG score is $\frac{6+7+5}{3}=6$.

A patient wants to cough and walk after surgery. What should guide the treatment goal?

Ask how pain affects the patient’s priorities and daily activities, then agree on a realistic treatment goal together.

What makes a functional pain-treatment goal patient-centered?

A useful functional goal names an activity that matters to the individual, such as walking to the mailbox and back once daily.

How can progress toward a functional goal be measured?

Track whether the patient completes the activity and how often, such as recording completion of a daily walk to the mailbox.

Why is a pain score alone insufficient to judge treatment success?

A pain score is only one part of the outcome. Consider meaningful changes in function and the patient’s view of whether the plan is helpful.