how to ask patient for pain scale score correctly?

cec726 · Sep 4, 2012

I just say "what would you rate your pain right now 0-10, 10 being the worst pain you have ever experienced." Pain is what the patient says it is, so even if they are laughing and joking and say their pain is a 10, I document it as a 10.

brainkandy87 · Sep 4, 2012

I ask them: What's your pain, 0-10? Zero is no pain at all, ten is you're about to die.

If they say "twelve" or something that's not 0-10, I tell them I need a number 0-10. I can be such a richardhead sometimes. *shrug*

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Sep 4, 2012

can you'll guys give me some 'nice' way of getting pain scale score?because i know you'll expert in this..
thanx!

.......

"Scale of 1-10, 10 is the worst pain ever and 0 is no pain, how are you feeling right now?"

How is asking the patient to quantify pain not nice?

NO50FRANNY · Sep 4, 2012

I go with the analogy- "If 10/10 pain is being burned alive and 1/10 is a mild headache what number are you at right now?".

TheSquire, DNP, APRN, NP · Sep 4, 2012

My personal script is "Sir/ma'am, could you please rate your pain for me on a scale from 0-10, where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain in the history of the world."

Also, this XKCD comic is relevant.

7feetunder · Sep 4, 2012

I ask them: What's your pain, 0-10? Zero is no pain at all, ten is you're about to die.
If they say "twelve" or something that's not 0-10, I tell them I need a number 0-10. I can be such a richardhead sometimes. *shrug*

haha..i feel funny... :>

but thanx

7feetunder · Sep 4, 2012

.......
"Scale of 1-10, 10 is the worst pain ever and 0 is no pain, how are you feeling right now?"
How is asking the patient to quantify pain not nice?

well,you know sometimes there's kind of patient felt uneasy being questioned for the pain score.

sometimes i get scolded because asking for score.

TheSquire, DNP, APRN, NP · Sep 4, 2012

well,you know sometimes there's kind of patient felt uneasy being questioned for the pain score.
sometimes i get scolded because asking for score.

Blame it on hospital policy - that way it's not your fault anymore :-D

abiklags · Sep 4, 2012

I asked "can you please rate your pain for me? if 0 was no pain and 10 the worst you ever had, where would you put your pain right now?"

our clinical site has pain rating charts in each room velcro'ed with other lang's (Mandarin and Russian I think) on it, as well as the Wang-Baker Faces pain scale. I once pulled it off for a mildly demented patient because she could not answer 0-10. She pointed to the appropriate face and I put it back on the wall.

kabfighter · Sep 4, 2012

I go with the analogy- "If 10/10 pain is being burned alive and 1/10 is a mild headache what number are you at right now?".

The example I use for a 10 is having each limb tied to a horse, all of which are running full speed away from you.

Some people don't seem to get the pain scale. Many times I'll ask for a number, and they'll respond with 'it's not too bad' (which is not a number). I'll throw a few numbers out and record the one they choose. No matter what the answer is, I ask whether it's bad enough that they would like medication for it (some want morphine at 1, others are fine at 8).

For the asking part, I say something similar to what everyone else has already posted. If a patient has been consistently not in pain, I'll first ask whether they're in any pain at all, then ask them for a number if they are. I often have to clarify that aches are considered pain, particularly in older patients.

malestunurse · Sep 4, 2012

I know it is suppose to be for children but wouldn't the Wong-Baker pain scale faces be of use if you were having trouble getting a number from them?