Measuring outcomes

The experience of pain is complex, and this can make measuring pain outcomes challenging for both clinicians and researchers. There is no one ideal scale for measuring the complex nature of pain manifestation, and clinicians and researchers often rely on a number of questionnaires that quantify and measure pain across multiple domains. Evaluation of the following areas of pain are standard: pain intensity, pain quality, psychosocial impact, emotional functioning, physical functioning, and global satisfaction.