Pain
- Any patient complaining of pain should be assessed and treated as quickly as possible. It is important to ask patients on a regular basis about any pain that they may be experiencing
- Simply asking patients about their pain levels on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain ever) is useful in assessing levels of pain
- A patient should be referred to their own doctor who may suggest onward referral to a pain clinic
- Pain can limit activities such as rolling in bed, performing transfers, putting on clothes and self-care activities like bathing
- Pain can also have an impact on fatigue, motivation and mood
