Standards Procedure (Skill)
Clinical Indications: Levels: EMT-B, EMT- D,
EMT-I, EMT-P
Ř Any patient with pain
Definitions:
Ř Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.
Ř Pain is subjective (whatever the patient says it is).
Procedure:
a. Initial and ongoing assessment of pain intensity and character is accomplished through the patient’s self report.
b. Pain should be assessed and documented during initial assessment, before starting pain control treatment, and with each set of vitals.
c. Pain should be assessed using the appropriate approved scale.
d. Two pain scales are available: the 0-10 and the Wong-Baker “faces” scale.
e. 0-10 Scale: the most familiar scale used by EMS for rating pain with patients. It is primarily for adults and is based on the patient being able to express their perception of the pain as related to numbers. Avoid coaching the patient, simply ask them to rate their pain on a scale from 0-10, where 0 is no pain at all and 10 is the worse pain ever experienced by the patient.
f. Wong-Baker “faces” scale: this scale is used primarily for use pediatrics but may also be used with geriatrics or any patient with a language barrier. The faces correspond to numeric values from 0-10. The scale can be documented with the numeric value or the textual pain description.
Certification Requirements:
Successfully complete an annual skill evaluation including the indications, contraindications, technique, and possible complications of the procedure.