My hospital uses a pain scale of 1-5 with faces. How effective is this, really? I had a patient tell me she was a 5 (worst pain) and yet she was on the phone laughing with a friend. Of course I documented that she said she was a 5 on the scale, but I also documented what she was doing at the time. And yes, I did make sure she knew that a 5 was the worst pain on the scale.
Why can't we go back to just documenting exactly what their pain level is by what they say, what they are doing, and our assessment? If my notes indicate a 5 (worst pain) and I don't document what is really going on with the patient, then I may be omitting information. Then again, a 5 is an oxymoron to how she is behaving with the laughing.
The 5 may be her worst pain, but the face on the scale says it is unbearable. How reliable are these scales?