PQRST Pain Assessment
Learn about PQRST pain assessment and its five components. Get access to a PDF version and example for free.
Fact Checked by Nate Lacson.
What is PQRST Pain Assessment?
Pain is a complex and highly individual experience that can be difficult to express in words. It can range from mild discomfort to severe, debilitating agony. It is often multidimensional and involves both physical and emotional components. For this reason, healthcare providers use various tools to assess pain in their patients.
One of these tools is the, which stands for Provocation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, and Time. It is a comprehensive assessment that helps healthcare professionals understand their patient's pain and make appropriate treatment decisions.
The PQRST Pain Assessment has five components:
- Provocation: This includes any activities or situations that provoke pain or injury, such as movement, breathing, or body posture;
- Quality: This looks at the characteristics and quality of the pain, such as its intensity, location, and duration;
- Region/Radiation: This explores how the burning pain moves from one area of body to another;
- Severity: This involves the person rating the pain on a scale from 1-10; and
- Time: This component involves noting how long the point of pain has been present and any fluctuations in intensity over time.
Clinicians can utilize the PQRST in various settings and scenarios. It is often used to track an individual's progress in treatment and help determine if a particular intervention affects their pain.
Printable PQRST Pain Assessment
Download this PQRST Pain Assessment and evaluate the extent of your client’s pain.
How does this PQRST Pain Assessment work?
Our free PQRST template is designed for healthcare professionals to quickly and easily document the five components of a comprehensive pain assessment.
This can be completed in an office setting or through telemedicine. The template includes a description of each element and a scoring point system to rate the severity of injury and pain.
To get started, you can follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Access the PQRST Pain Assessment
Download the template using the link on this page or within the Carepatron app. You can also get it from our resources library, which includes many helpful worksheets, templates, and assessment tools for your practice.
Step 2: Give a copy to your patient
Provide a copy to your patient and explain the purpose of the assessment. Ask them to read through it carefully, answer the questions, and rate their pain on a scale from 1-10.
Step 3: Complete the assessment
Review your patient's answers to gain insight into their pain experience, and write down any additional observations. After you have finished, document the results in the patient's medical record.
Step 4: Secure the form
Make sure to keep the assessment in a secure location for safekeeping. It can either be a physical location or a digital platform, such as our Carepatron app.
PQRST Pain Assessment example (sample)
We have written a PQRST Pain Assessment example to show you how this template works. This sample is written from the perspective of a hypothetical patient with chronic back and abdominal pain. You can view the sample here or download it as a PDF.
Download the PQRST Pain Assessment example (sample)
When to use a PQRST Pain Assessment PDF?
You can use a PQRST Pain Assessment PDF to evaluate your patient's pain intensity, location, and duration. You can also utilize this comprehensive tool if or when:
Your patient is experiencing chronic pain
Using the PQRST Pain Assessment, you can determine the severity and progression of your patient's chronic pain over time. It will help assess if any interventions are affecting their condition.
You are trying to diagnose the cause of pain
The PQRST Pain Assessment test can help you identify potential sources of pain and enable you to make a timely and accurate diagnosis.
Your patient is undergoing pain management
Using this tool, you can track your patient's progress in pain management and understand if any treatments are helping to reduce their pain levels.
Your patient has a range of pain symptoms
The PQRST Pain Assessment can help you effectively evaluate injuries and manage various pain symptoms. It is handy in cases of injury where the cause of pain is unclear or multi-faceted injuries.
Your patient will undergo a procedure or surgery
Using the PQRST Pain Assessment, you can develop an accurate pre-operative assessment of your patient's pain and prepare for potential complications. This will also help you determine the best treatment options for your patient referred pain before and after their surgery.
Who is this printable PQRST Pain Assessment for?
The PQRST Pain Assessment can be used by a variety of healthcare professionals, including:
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Physical therapists
- Rehabilitation specialists
- Pain management specialists
Patients can also use this tool to self-report their pain levels and track their progress. However, this should only be done under the guidance of a healthcare provider.
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Why use this PQRST Pain Assessment app?
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Commonly asked questions
The PQRST Pain Assessment method is popular among healthcare professionals due to its comprehensive and systematic assessment approach. This method allows for a detailed understanding of a patient's pain experience, which is crucial for effective treatment planning.
Its popularity stems from its ability to break down the complex experience of pain into manageable, quantifiable components, making it easier for patients and healthcare providers to communicate effectively about pain symptoms.
Scoring the PQRST Pain Assessment involves evaluating each component on a scale, typically from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater severity or impact. For example, in the Severity component, a score of 0 might indicate no pain, while 10 would represent the most severe pain imaginable. Each component's score provides valuable insights into different aspects of the patient's pain, helping to form a comprehensive picture of their condition.
PQRST is an acronym used in the pain assessment process, representing different aspects of a patient's pain experience:
- Provocation/Palliation: Identifying what causes the pain to worsen or improve.
- Quality: Describing the nature or characteristics of the pain (e.g., sharp, dull, throbbing).
- Region/Radiation: Determining where the pain is located and whether it spreads to other areas.
- Severity: Measuring the intensity of the pain, often on a scale of 0 to 10.
- Timing: Assessing when the pain occurs, its duration, and any patterns in its occurrence.
This methodical and systematic approach also helps healthcare providers gain a deeper understanding of the pain, leading to more accurate diagnoses and effective treatment plans.
