Originally posted by CCU NRS Education:
Explaining the 0/10 pain scale (esp. with those you feel may be less than honest about their pain) assess pain as usual and ask if you could demonstrate something slightly painful for them to compare it to. To help us better understand if your pain is continually at this level.
Explain that when people are coming out from anesthesia we have certain little things we do that make the brain respond to painful stimuli. Explain that what you are about to do is somewhat painful but it only hurts for a second. Take your ink pen and roll it across their cuticle and apply brief but firm pressure. Then ask then what they rate the pain of this procedure. There are several you may want to experiment with which one gives you best results. You can apply pressure to the eyebrow by pushing on the bone at that point above the eye. You can pinch the cartiledge of the ear and there is always the good old sternal rub!!!
Too Bad we could never really do these things. You may be able to sort of slip it in on someone that is willing to participate. 
careful! the sternal rub can leave marks! LOL
true otherwise.
it is frustrating trying to explain the 0/10 scale to someone who just does not get it.
wong-baker face scale for all? lol
i wonder if the scale even matters. "has your pain gotten better since the pain med?" yes or no. leaves out the middle man. and we all know that if 3 nurses ask the same patient to rate pain 0/10, at 2 min intervals, they will all get a different number.
oh well!
mg
brava!!
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