• Procedural pain examples are dressing changes, position changes
• Non-volitional example is coughing, hiccups
• Volitional examples are walking

Q is for Quality – What does it feel like:

• Aching
• Throbbing
• Pins-and-Needles
• Burning
• Sharp

R is for Radiates - Does the pain move in a pattern, is it predictable
OR is it a local pain and does not move

S is for Severity

• Rate your pain out of 10
• use the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale

T is for Time - When did it start and how long did it last.

V is for Value/meaning - What the goal of care is/what does the pain mean to me

Breakthrough Pain

What is it?An exacerbation of pain, above and beyond constant ?baseline pain. How to assess it- Same as all pain using the PQRST and V model.

How is it different? Can be associated with the total pain they are feeling including spiritual, emotional, social suffering.

Tools- Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale, (ESAS), Mini-Mental Exam (MME), Palliative Performance Scale (PPS)

Amy Regnier RN, BA, PCRN
Jasper to ColdLake
Office – 780-826-8353
E-mail – Amy.Regnier@albertahealthservices.ca

Verna Horney, RN, BN, PCRN
Grande Prairie
Office – 780-830-5061
E-mail – Verna.Horney@albertahealthservices.ca