PAIN ASSESSMENT SCALES

Numeric Pain Rating Scale

0-10 Numeric Pain Rating Scale

Instructions for use: The scale is numbered from zero to ten. Zero means no pain and ten means worst possible pain. A rating of two or three means mild pain and a rating of seven or higher is severe pain. Appropriate for use with older children and adult patients.

0
No pain

5
Moderate pain

10
Worst possible pain

Adapted from McCaffery M, Pasero C. Pain: Clinical manual, ed. 2, St. Louis, 1999, Mosby, Inc.

Faces Pain Rating Scales

The Faces Pain Scale Revised (FPS-R)

Instructions for use: These faces show how much something can hurt. This face (point to left-most face) shows no pain. The faces show more and more pain (point to each from left to right) up to this one (point to right-most face) it shows very much pain. Point to the face that shows how much you hurt (right now). Appropriate for use with children, elderly patients, patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment, and patients with language barriers.
5 Hurts worst

10

Faces Pain Scale Revised 2001, International Association for the Study of Pain [www.iasp-pain.org/FPSR]

The Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale

0 No hurt

1 Hurts little bit

2 Hurts little more

3 Hurts even more

4 Hurts whole lot

From Hockenberry MJ, Wilson D: Wongs essentials of pediatric nursing, ed. 9, St. Louis, 2013, Mosby. Used with permission. Copyright Mosby.

Verbal Rating Scale

Descriptive Pain Intensity Scale

Instructions for use: This scale uses words to describe the pain. Which words describe your pain now: no pain, mild pain, moderate pain, and severe pain. Each word is scored to measure the pain level. Appropriate for use with adult patients and elderly patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.

No Pain

Mild Pain

Moderate Pain

Severe Pain

Very Severe

Worst Possible Pain

From Portenoy, RK & Kanner, RM (Eds.): Pain management: Theory and practice, 1996, Oxford University Press. Used with permission.

Copyright 2014, 2010, 2006, 2003, 1999 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.