🔑 Key Definitions
Pain Assessment: Systematic evaluation of pain characteristics and impact
Self-Report: Patient's own description of pain experience
Pain Threshold: Minimum stimulus intensity perceived as painful
Pain Tolerance: Maximum pain intensity a person can endure
Self-Report: Patient's own description of pain experience
Pain Threshold: Minimum stimulus intensity perceived as painful
Pain Tolerance: Maximum pain intensity a person can endure
🧠 Pain Assessment Methods
- Self-Report Measures: Patient describes own pain
- Visual Analog Scale (VAS): Line from "no pain" to "worst pain"
- Numeric Rating Scale (NRS): Rate pain 0-10
- Verbal Rating Scale: Mild, moderate, severe
- Behavioral Observation: Watch for pain behaviors (grimacing, guarding)
- Physiological Measures: Heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance
📊 Key Pain Questionnaires
- McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ): Comprehensive; measures sensory, affective, evaluative dimensions
- Brief Pain Inventory (BPI): Assesses pain severity and interference with function
- FACES Scale: For children; uses facial expressions
🛠 Dimensions of Pain Measured
- Location (where is the pain?)
- Intensity (how severe?)
- Quality (sharp, dull, burning?)
- Duration (how long?)
- Pattern (constant, intermittent?)
💡 Exam Tips
- Pain threshold ≠ Pain tolerance (threshold = detection, tolerance = maximum endurance)
- McGill Pain Questionnaire = MOST comprehensive (sensory, affective, evaluative)
- Self-report is GOLD STANDARD for pain assessment ("pain is what patient says it is")
- FACES scale = for CHILDREN
- VAS = line; NRS = numbers 0-10