Pain scales

Introduction Pain, because of its subjective nature, is difficult for clinicians to quantify. Studies have demonstrated that when caregivers and/or family members are asked to assess patient pain, both groups tend to underestimate severe pain. Accordingly, self-report is the gold standard for pain assessment. This quantification becomes necessary for health care providers to assess the efficacy of our interventions and to determine choices of therapy. Although numerous scales are currently employed to assess intensity and quality of pain, it is unclear which scale provides the most information in the least obtrusive manner. Given the nature of our reliance on self-reporting, an ideal test would be both valid – measuring that which it purports to measure; and reliable – consistently performing its intended function free from errors in measurement.