Acute Pain

Pain Assessment Scales 

• Numeric Rating Scale 

  • Used in anyone, good for measuring acute changes in pain 

• Wong Baker Faces Pain Rating 

  • Good validity in pediatric and adult patients who have a language barrier ir poor literacy  

• Visual Analogue Scale 

  • Useful when patients cannot translate their pain into a numeric value 

• Adult Non-Verbal Pain Scale 

  • Used in critical care patients (trauma, surgery, burn, open heart surgery, intubated patients) 

Pain Assessment Tools

• OPQRST 

• CRIES Scale 

  • Used in post-operative pain in neonates 

1. Which of the following best describes acute pain?

a) Pain that lasts for years

b) Pain that does not require treatment

c) Pain that is always severe and unmanageable

d) Temporary pain that can last for minutes or several weeks

2. Why is it important to recognize and assess pain as soon as possible?

a) To prevent complications such as physiological and psychological effects

b) To ensure the patient becomes accustomed to the pain

c) To avoid the need for any treatment

d) To determine the patient’s tolerance level

3. Which of the following is a potential complication of untreated acute pain?

a)  Improved pain tolerance

b) Prolonged chronic pain

c) Immediate resolution of pain

d) Decreased risk of future pain

4. Which tool is recommended for assessing pain to reduce under-treatment?

a) Verbal Numeric Scale (NRS)

b) Blood pressure monitor

c) Electrocardiogram (ECG)

d) Pulse oximeter

5. When should opioids be considered in the treatment of acute pain?

a) For all patients regardless of pain severity

b) Only after confirming the medical history with a centralized health record

c) Immediately after pain is reported

d) When non-pharmacological methods fail

6. What is the primary goal of therapy in the management of acute pain?

a) To ignore the pain and focus on other symptoms

b) To wait until the pain resolves on its own

c) To recognize, relieve, identify the cause, and treat the cause of pain

d) To focus only on relieving the pain without identifying the cause

7. Which of the following is NOT considered a behavioral sign of pain?

a) Agitation

b) Anxiety

c) Crying

d) Laughing

8. What non-pharmacological method is recommended for immediate pain relief in case of swelling?

a) Immobilization

b) Compression and ice

c) Application of dressings

d) Oral opioid administration

9. Which risk factor is associated with acute pain?

a) High blood pressure

b) Surgery

c) Diabetes

d) Chronic headaches

10. For a patient with a Verbal Numeric Scale (NRS) score of 6, what is the recommended initial treatment?

a) High-dose opioid

b) Non-opioid analgesic

c) Parenteral medication

d) Immediate surgery