Cardinal Features of Pain

Question 1

What questions should you ask for: Site?

Answer 1

Where exactly is the Pain? Where does the pain radiate to? Has the location of the pain moved at all?

Question 2

What questions should you ask for: Quality?

Answer 2

What type of pain are you experiencing? Have you ever felt this pain before?

Question 3

What questions should you ask for: Severity?

Answer 3

On a Scale to 10 (with zero being no pain and ten being the worst pain you’ve experienced in your life), how would you rate your pain? How bad is the pain? Is the pain affecting your everyday life/function?

Question 4

What questions should you ask for: Time Course?

Answer 4

Onset? Offset? Sudden or gradual? How long have you been experiencing the pain? Constant/Changing? When did the pain start?

Question 5

What questions should you ask for: Context?`

Answer 5

Do you remember what you were doing when the pain started? What do you think is causing the pain?

Question 6

What questions should you ask for: Relieving Factors?

Answer 6

Is there anything that makes the pain better?

Question 7

What questions should you ask for: Aggravating Factors?

Answer 7

Is there anything that makes the pain worse?

Question 8

What questions should you ask for: Additional Information?

Answer 8

Are there any other symptoms that you’re experiencing? History/Medications/Allergies? Is there anything else that I should know about your pain?

Question 9

What are the Cardinal Features of Pain?

Answer 9

Site, Quality, Severity, Time Course, Context, Relieving/Aggravating factors, Additional information

Question 10

Introduction??

Answer 10

Hello, My name is Sarah Marshall. I am a first year medical student and I was hoping to ask you some questions about your visit with the doctor today, would that be alright?

Question 11

Opening Statements?

Answer 11

Would you like to tell me a little about the pain you’ve been experiencing?

What have you come in about today?

Explain to me about your pain?

Question 12

What does plethoric mean?

Answer 12

red in the face or flushed

Question 13

What does Erythemic mean?

Answer 13

There is a rash

Question 14

What does diaphoretic mean?

Answer 14

Sweaty or clammy

Question 15

What are important elements when asking about time course?

Answer 15

Introduce the concept of time course: “I would just like to get more of a clear picture about the time course of the condition”

Onset:

Progression over time: (frequency and severity changes)

Offset:

Previous experiences:

Possible Prodrome:

Question 16

When asking about relieving factors, what is it important to ascertain?

Answer 16

Any treatments that they have tried that have worked, or failed.