Evaluation of pain should be done in a thorough and systematic fashion. Here are the 5 key components of a complete pain assessment:
- Basic History (described in detail in next slide)
- Analgesic History: Pharmacologic: effects, toxicities of current and past medications, patient phobias and common patient concerns.
- Analgesic History: Non-Pharmacologic
- Impact and Meaning of Pain
- Pain Causality and Goals for pain relief: e.g. questions such as: “Why do you think you are having pain?”, “What are your goals for pain relief?”