2 Pain Assessment and Reassessment Free Online FlashCards

What is the primary measure of pain when a patient can communicate?

When a patient can communicate, their report is the primary measure of pain. Treat pain as subjective and use the patient’s own description.

When should pain be assessed?

Assess pain when it is reported, when a condition or procedure may cause pain, and when the patient’s condition changes.

What areas does PQRST cover in pain assessment?

PQRST organizes questions about Provokes/palliates, Quality, Region/radiation, Severity, and Timing. Use it as a guide, not a script.

What should an acute pain assessment emphasize?

Identify the likely cause or context, onset, changes, and effects on immediate activities such as deep breathing, coughing, resting, or walking after surgery.

What gives context to a chronic pain rating?

Assess the pain pattern over time and its effects on physical, emotional, and social functioning. Usual, best, and worst levels over a defined period add context to a current rating.

What endpoints define the numeric rating scale for pain?

The patient rates pain from 0, meaning no pain, to 10, meaning the worst pain imaginable.

What should patients understand about faces scales?

Faces scales can support communication for some children or people who have difficulty with numbers or verbal descriptors. Explain that faces represent pain intensity, not how the patient thinks they should look.

How should a pain rating guide care?

Use a scale consistently for comparisons, but do not treat its score as the whole assessment. A rating alone does not dictate a particular intervention.

How can pain be assessed when self-report is not possible?

Use an appropriate validated observational tool and consider information from familiar caregivers or others. Reassess communication ability and return to self-report if possible.

What supports respectful, patient-centered pain communication?

Listen without judgment, ask open-ended questions, and reflect the patient’s meaning to confirm understanding. Address language, hearing, vision, cognition, culture, and communication needs.

How should reassessment timing be determined?

Reassess at intervals appropriate to the intervention, the patient’s condition, and local policy. For medicines, follow route- and setting-specific timing; there is no universal interval.

What should a pain reassessment evaluate?

Compare current pain with the prior assessment, ask whether the intervention helped, check progress toward the agreed goal, note adverse effects or new symptoms, and decide whether the plan needs review.