We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Pain Assessment?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 2,964
Share

A pain assessment takes many forms and may be complex or simple. Primarily it is a means of gauging information about a person’s present pain. This information includes determining pain intensity, identifying pain sources and causes, determining previous treatments used to address pain, and evaluating how pain is affecting a person’s life or well-being. Numerous methods may be used to find this information and sometimes assessments are unsuccessful in determining causes or directing treatment. This may occur because an assessment is not comprehensive enough.

Many times, the pain assessment takes place at a doctor’s office though it could also occur at hospital or a clinic that specifically addresses chronic pain. Of the three, assessment is most likely to be more extensive in chronic pain clinics or with doctors that specialize in this area. A variety of methods could be used to get a sense of a person’s pain.

The first of these is taking vital signs. People in chronic pain might have fever, and especially may show elevated blood pressure or heart rate, though this isn’t always the case. Chronic pain sufferers often do have warmer skin as a result of continual body stress. This might be noted in physical exam, which is very often performed. In particular, any area identified as painful could be assessed for potential problems or level of function. For instance, if a person suffers severe shoulder pain, evaluation of range of motion might be useful.

The pain assessment may also ask a person to comment on and rate pain. This could be done with a simple 0-10 scale or other models might be employed. For children, a picture of faces that progress from happy to distressed are often used, as this is an easier model for young kids to understand. Doctors will also want to know things like medical history, when pain began, and what has been used to treat pain. Understanding medication use for treatment can be important because people may develop tolerance to medicines resulting in increased pain symptoms.

Unless pain is clearly physical, doctors may perform mild to moderately extensive psychosocial evaluations as part of a pain assessment. There are strong links between increases in pain due to conditions like depression or anxiety, and these may need to be weighed. Additionally, physical pain may worsen if it is having an adverse effect on a patient’s life, or may also worsen if greater pain brings the patient some type of reward like financial support. Understanding the patient’s present life and emotional state could suggest ways to most effectively treat pain.

With a pain assessment, a doctor may be able to get a small to big picture view of present suffering. Mini-assessments performed in places like hospitals can help determine appropriate medications or level of recovery, too. A series of exams, questions, and other inquiries suggest best ways to address pain and to help the patient.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-pain-assessment.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.