Pain assessment methods

Clinical presentation of pain is best addressed by proper pain assessment. A patient-oriented approach is essential, and evaluation methods should not differ from those used in other medical conditions. Therefore, a comprehensive history and physical exam-... 

Abstract— Pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience, if uncontrolled or undertreated, can seriously impair the quality of life. In many cases, the failure to adequately treat pain is due to the lack of accurate pain assessment tools, especially when subjective self-report methods are not applicable due to patients inability to formulate their pain experience (e.g. young children, incapacitating brain conditions). Therefore, there is a need for measures of pain which do not rely on patients ability to self-report. In this study, the relationship between the Heartbeat Evoked Potential(HEP) and acute pain perception was investigated. The aim was to examine the effect of acute tonic cold pain on the HEP and to test whether or not pain perception can be reflected by the HEP. Simultaneous electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded from 21 healthy young adults in three conditions passive no-task control, no-pain control and cold pain... 

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an alternative method of administration of morphine. The use of an indwelling catheter allows the patient to administer the drug at frequent intervals for pain relief. PCA systems allow patients the freedom to assess the need for their own analgesia and to titrate a dose tailored to their needs. Dependence is rarely observed in patients using PCA for acute pain management. 

Assessment of dental pain following molar extraction represents one of the clinical evaluation methods for... 

Subjective responses are nerve-mediated sensory responses such as burning, stinging, itching, or pain that may be experienced in varying intensities, but do not induce visible changes that can be perceived by an outside observer. Semiquantitative methods of assessment have been devised to measure such responses. 

The first step in managing a patient s pain, whether it is acute or chronic in nature, is assessment. There are numerous methods available to assess pain, including verbal, visual analog, categorical, and faces scales. These methods are discussed in detail in several publica-... 

The method of summated ratings can be shown readily using the index of disease activity (IDA) for rheumatoid arthritis proposed by Mallya and Mace. Six aspects of the patient s condition are assessed (morning stiffness, pain, grip strength, articular index, haemoglobin and the one hour erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and points are assigned to the values of each of these on a scale of 1 (the best situation) to 4 (the worst possibility). 

A variety of symptoms can arise from Gl dysfunction. Common Gl symptoms include heartburn, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Signs and symptoms of malabsorption, hepatitis, and Gl infection are also commonly seen. The next sections describe methods that are commonly used to assess patients with Gl complaints. For specific details concerning each Gl disease state, please consult that particular chapter in this book. 

The most common method used to assess pain is the pain scale. One of the pain scales ranges from zero to 10. Zero is freedom from pain 10 is the most severe... 

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