Fred Hutch Cancer Center: 4 new ways to approach patient pain management

Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is working to close a gap in communications between physicians and patients about their pain.

Part of the problem, according to the cancer center, is that the way patients perceive and experience individual pain is different than the wide-ranging variations of pain physicians consistently treat, the center describes in a July 13 blog post. 

While asking a patient to rate their pain on a scale from zero to 10 is useful, it isn't always as simple as that. 

"I always ask patients about their pain numbers, but I'm aware it's completely subjective," Margaret Hsu, MD, pain management specialist at Fred Hutch stated in the blog post. "Sometimes I ask what number is your goal? At what number can you walk to the store or make food for yourself?"

To effectively communicate to patients about pain intensity, Fred Hutch recommends four key approaches:

1. Being specific by asking questions such as, "What does it feel like?"
   
   
2. Comparing to pain at previous points in time, such as the week prior, or the condition's onset.
   
   
3. Using questions that can quantify aspects about an individual's specific experience such as how many times per day, at what times it hurts most, etc.
   
   
4. Listening with a goal of assessing the effects that the patient's pain is having on their daily life.