Question

as a medical assistant, how can we help patients experience severe pain?

Do you think there is a better way to assess a patient's pain that 1-10 scale we use?

What would that be?

Answer 1

Ans) Pain assessment is a multidimensional approach to the evaluation of pain attributes that assists in the development of the most appropriate treatment plan for an individual patient.

- There are some signs and symptoms that a person may exhibit if they are in pain that can clue you in:
Facial grimacing or a frown.
Writhing or constant shifting in bed.
Moaning, groaning, or whimpering.
Restlessness and agitation.
Appearing uneasy and tense, perhaps drawing their legs up or kicking.

Under the general category of medications, there are both oral and topical therapies for the treatment of chronic pain. Oral medications include those that can be taken by mouth, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and opioids. Also available are medications that can be applied to the skin, whether as an ointment or cream or by a patch that is applied to the skin. Some of these patches work by being placed directly on top of the painful area where the active drug, such as lidocaine, is released. Others, such as fentanyl patches, may be placed at a location far from the painful area. Some medications are available over the-counter (OTC) while others may require a prescription.

There are many things that may help with your pain which do not involve medications. These things may help relieve some pain and reduce the medications required to control your pain. Examples include exercises, best performed under the direction of a physical therapist. There are also alternative modalities, such as acupuncture. Transcutaneous Electro-Nerve Stimulator (TENS) units use pads that are placed on your skin to provide stimulation around the area of pain and may help to reduce some types of pain symptoms.

Mankoski pain scale:
The Mankoski pain scale incorporates a numerical pain scale, along with brief descriptions, to help categorize pain. It goes one step further though and explains that pain in relation to how pain medicines either help or don’t help the person’s pain.