The most effective way to assess the quantity of pain is to ask the patient to
a. describe the pain as minor, moderate, or severe.
b. classify the pain as small, medium, or large.
c. rate the pain on a scale from 0 to 10.
d. compare the pain with pain experienced in the past.
C
Quantity depicts the severity, volume, number, or extent of the chief complaint. One mechanism that can be used to assess the quantity of pain is a numerical scale, known as the visual analog scale, which rates pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain possible). The terms in options "a" and "b" are subjective and therefore difficult to quantify. If the patient consistently uses the same terms, then a relative scale can be used to assess whether the chief complaint is improving or becoming worse. Option "d" will elicit a subjective term, such as better or worse, which is difficult to quantify.
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