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Medical Science
Grade 9-12
Pain Scales & Assessment Reference Cheat Sheet
A printable reference covering pain scales, PQRST assessment, FLACC scoring, numeric ratings, and documentation principles for grades 9-12.
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Pain assessment is a core medical science skill because pain is subjective and must be measured in a consistent way. This cheat sheet covers common pain scales, structured pain history questions, and basic scoring tools used in clinical settings. Students need these references to understand how healthcare workers describe pain clearly, compare changes over time, and communicate findings safely.
Key Facts
- The numeric rating scale asks a patient to rate pain from 0 to 10, where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst possible pain.
- The Wong-Baker FACES scale uses facial expressions to help patients communicate pain intensity, often with scores from 0 to 10.
- PQRST stands for Provocation, Quality, Region, Severity, and Timing, and it organizes the main questions in a pain assessment.
- FLACC stands for Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability, and each category is scored 0, 1, or 2 for a total score from 0 to 10.
- A higher pain score usually means more severe pain, but the score must be interpreted with the patient's behavior, condition, and history.
- Reassessment compares a new pain score with the previous score after an intervention, such as medication, repositioning, rest, or ice.
- Pain documentation should include location, intensity, description, onset, duration, triggers, relieving factors, interventions, and response.
Vocabulary
- Pain scale
- A tool used to measure or describe how much pain a patient is experiencing.
- Numeric rating scale
- A pain scale where the patient chooses a number, usually from 0 to 10, to report pain intensity.
- PQRST assessment
- A structured method for asking about what causes pain, what it feels like, where it is, how severe it is, and when it occurs.
- FLACC scale
- An observational pain scale that scores face, legs, activity, cry, and consolability when a patient cannot clearly report pain.
- Reassessment
- A follow-up check used to see whether pain has improved, worsened, or stayed the same after care is given.
- Subjective symptom
- A symptom that is reported by the patient and cannot be directly measured by another person.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming a quiet patient has no pain is wrong because some patients hide pain, cannot speak, or show pain in subtle ways.
- Using only one pain score without asking follow-up questions is wrong because the score does not explain location, cause, timing, or quality.
- Comparing pain scores between different patients as if they mean the same thing is wrong because pain is subjective and personal.
- Forgetting to reassess after an intervention is wrong because healthcare workers need to know whether the action helped or if pain is worsening.
- Recording only 'patient has pain' is wrong because useful documentation must include the pain rating, location, description, timing, and response to treatment.
Practice Questions
- 1 A patient reports pain as 7 out of 10 before medication and 3 out of 10 after medication. By how many points did the pain score decrease?
- 2 On the FLACC scale, a patient scores Face = 1, Legs = 2, Activity = 1, Cry = 0, and Consolability = 2. What is the total FLACC score?
- 3 Use PQRST to write five pain assessment questions for a patient with sudden chest pain.
- 4 Why should a healthcare worker use both a pain scale and descriptive questions instead of relying only on a number?