A person suffering pain will be very focused on the pain and how they feel, so they can be overwhelmed. They often find it difficult to express how they are feeling and to listen to any assistance being provided. It is very important that a calm and professional approach is adopted to help them manage the pain until paramedics arrive.
It is important to assess the person’s level of pain prior to administering treatment. This will assist you and paramedics to decide whether simple pain management methods such as rest, ice and immobilisation will manage the pain or if more formal pain management techniques are required. It is best practice to also assess the pain levels at regular intervals during the provision of first aid to gauge and document the effectiveness of treatment.
In addition to having a person indicate their pain on a level of ‘none’ (0) to ‘the worst pain possible’ (10), the Wong–Baker FACES® pain rating scale may be used. It is often useful with young children aged 3 years and older and may also be useful for adults with a disability or people from non-English speaking backgrounds. Point to each face using the words provided to describe the pain intensity, then ask the person to choose the face that best describes their own pain and record the appropriate number.
