Chronic pain
Pain measurement
Pain is the single most common reason for consultation with a general practitioner and is the most frequent symptom in hospital practice.1
Pain is also an individual experience and as the type of condition causing the pain can vary, so can an individual’s pain threshold.
This page contains a series of self-reporting scales that you can use with a range of patients, both young and old, to assess their pain over time.
Measurements may be made at rest and on movement.
Visual analogue scale
This simple scale can be used to show where a patient measures themselves on a scale of 'no pain' through to 'worst pain imaginable'.
Faces pain scale2
A happy face represents 'no hurt' whereas a sad face represents 'a lot of pain'. This scale is recommended for patients aged 3 years and older.
Box scale
This scale uses a numerical value for pain,
i.e. no pain = 0, and worst pain imaginable = 10
Colour scale
This scale uses colours from a 'cool blue' to a 'burning red' to indicate the intensity of pain.
Reference:
1) MIMS Handbook of pain management. London: Haymarket Medical Imprint; 2006.
2) Wong DL, Hockenberry-Eaton M, Wilson D, et al. Wong’s Essentials of Pediatric Nursing, 6th ed St. Louis: Mosby; 2001. p. 1301. Copyrighted by Mosby-Year Book, Inc. Reproduced by permission.