Pain Assessment Flashcards
What does pain Assessment Involve?
Assessment of the factors that may influence a patients experience and expression of pain
Awareness of the barriers that may affect nurses assessment and management of pain - knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about pain and the nurses experience
Accurate documentation of pain - assessment, management and re-evaluation
Use of pain assessment tools
Explain the PQRST Pain Assessment Model
PQRST Model is a tool used to asssess patients pain and can be used to determine what is causing it and therefore the best way of treating it.
Decribe the P Component of PQRST
P = Provocation/Palliation
What where you doing when the pain started? What caused it? What makes it better or worse? What seems to trigger it? Stress? Position? Certain activities?
What relieves it? Medications, massage, heat/cold, changing position, being active, resting?
What aggravates it? Movement, bending, lying down, walking, standing?
Dercibe Q Component of PQRST
Q = Quality/Quantity
What does it feel like? Use words to describe the pain such as sharp, dull, stabbing, burning, crushing, throbbing, nauseating, shooting, twisting or stretching.
Describe R Component of PQRST
R = Region/Radiation
Where is the pain located? Does the pain radiate? Where? Does it feel like it travels/moves around? Did it start elsewhere and is now localized to one spot?
Describe S Component of PQRST
S = Severity Scale
How severe is the pain on a scale of 0 to 10, with zero being no pain and 10 being the worst pain ever? Does it interfere with activities? How bad is it at its worst? Does it force you to sit down, lie down, slow down? How long does an episode last?
Describe T Component of PQRST
T = Timing
When/at what time did the pain start? How long did it last? How often does it occur: hourly? daily? weekly? monthly? Is it sudden or gradual? What were you doing when you first experienced it? When do you usually experience it: daytime? night? early morning? Are you ever awakened by it? Does it lead to anything else? Is it accompanied by other signs and symptoms? Does it ever occur before, during or after meals? Does it occur seasonally?
Explain the importance of documentation in pain assessment
Documentation
In addition to facilitating accurate pain assessment, careful and complete documentation demonstrates that you are taking all the proper steps to ensure that your patients receive the highest quality pain management.
