Pain assessment PQRSTU

• P- Provoking - what is making the pain better or worst?
• Q- Quality- describe what the pain feels like? Throbbing, burning, stinging, stabbing
• R- Radiation & Region- point to where the pain is, does it travel, where is it and does it
• occur anywhere else
• S- Severity- rate the pain using pain scale 1-10, how much pain with movement & at rest
• T- Time- when did the pain begin and how long does it last, is the pain gradual or sudden
• U- Patient's understanding- what treatments have they tried, do they understand the
• cause of pain