Pain Scale 1-10

The original pain rating scale was developed by Dr. Ronald Melzack and Dr. Warren Torgerson in 1975 at McGill University. Their idea was to develop a simple numerical rating scale to quantify a patients pain and discomfort level.  It was a tool to be assessed by physicians to communicate to other physicians.

There have be numerous other pain scales used in different specialties, and applied to specific situations. While the pain scale is a useful tool for practitioners to assess patients’ comfort, it’s not an exact science or even a diagnostic measure. The benefit of a pain scale is that it helps medical professionals understand a patient’s current feelings and can help them take steps to address the discomfort quickly.

here’s a link to espcially good article by

• Elana Gordon https://whyy.org/segments/reassessing-the-assessment-of-pain-how-the-numeric-scale-became-so-popular-in-health-care/