Pain Assessment:
Able to Self-Report
PQRST Mnemonic for Pain Assessment
P (provokes, precipitates):
•Location of pain
•What brings it on (e.g., activity, specific movement,
eating, breathing)?
•What relieves it?
Q (quality):
• What is the quality of the pain (in the patient’s own
words)?
•Prompt only if necessary, to determine if pain is dull,
sharp, stabbing, pins and needles, “electrical”, etc.
R (radiation, referral):
•Does the pain move to any other spot?
•Are there any other symptoms with the pain (e.g.,
nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath)?
S (severity):
•How does the patient rate the severity of the pain on
a scale of 1-10?
T (time):
•When did the pain start?
•Has this pain occurred before?
•Is the pain intermittent or constant?
Last reviewed January 23, 2021
