Pain is a subjective experience, making it difficult to measure objectively. However, healthcare professionals use various methods and tools to assess and evaluate pain levels. Some common methods used to measure pain: Self-report scales (like the numerical rating scale and visual analog scale), verbal descriptor scales, faces pain scale and pain diaries or journals.
We spoke to Lumina Sage, Prof. Chester "Trip" Buckenmaier III M.D., Col (Ret). about the topic of pain measurement and particularly the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS). Dr. Buckenmaier III is the founder and former Director of the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management, and the Professor in Anesthesiology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Dr. Buckenmaier III specializes in Acute Pain Management and Regional Anesthesia Acupuncture and has contributed to the Lumina Primary Headaches and Fibromyalgia Courses.
Working toward standardizing DVPRS
You may also be interested in the executive summary we prepared for the original research article "Psychometric Testing of the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS): A New Pain Scale for Military Population" by R.C. Polomano, K.T. Galloway, M.L. Kent, H. Brandon-Edwards, K. Kwon, C. Morales, and C. Buckenmaier III.
Download this Lumina Executive Summary now.
