This session introduces learners to the assessment and diagnosis of acute and chronic pain. How practitioners perceive and evaluate chronic pain impacts how treatment plans are developed, which directly influences the outcome of pain management. While past approaches were often unidimensional, pain is usually experienced on multiple dimensions and therefore experienced differently by different people. These dimensions include physiologic, psychological/emotional, cognitive, and social/cultural. A comprehensive stepwise approach to assessment and measurement will facilitate an accurate picture of the patient’s pain and its effect on the patient’s ability to live and function.
Instructional Strategy: Lecture/Discussion, 1 hour
Learning Objectives
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Define and categorize the multiple dimensions of pain
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Contrast a unidimensional approach to a multidimensional approach to pain assessment
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Describe the benefit of multidimensional pain assessment compared to unidimensional pain assessment
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Identify assessment tools that address multiple dimensions of pain
Author: John Boltri, MD, FAAFP
School: Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)
