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Pain is one of the most common reasons for a patient to visit a clinician, and pain relief is one of the most consistently useful interventions clinicians make. With limited resources, the goal is to provide the best analgesia using the fewest and cheapest resources.
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To treat patients’ pain, it is vital to assess it. There are several common methods to do this, including the following:
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The five-point pain scale using words, in which patients point to the word that best expresses their pain level (Fig. 14-1). However, to use this, the patient must understand each of the terms for gradations of pain. (The words in the figure are provided in several languages.)
Faces pain scales (Figs. 14-2 and 14-3), which can be used by nonverbal patients or when language difficulties exist.1
Pain Assessment for Children (Table 14-1) can be used for children <4 years old and for children who are nonverbal or noncommunicative. It provides a rough guide to their discomfort level.
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