Consideration of pain scoring systems

Within a veterinary practice pain assessment is considered to be one of the most important yet challenging aspects of veterinary care, fundamental to patient wellbeing. This area of patient care was relatively neglected until 2004 when veterinary medicine started to progress (Morton et al, 2005; Ambrose, 2013). The ability to feel pain is a very individual experience in humans, therefore the same principle should be applied to veterinary medicine. While one patient may not present any signs of pain another may do following the same procedure. This highlights the importance of individual assessment and a holistic approach to allow for provision of a high standard of patient care (Ambrose, 2013). There are many pain scoring systems available that have been adapted for use within veterinary practice, as well as those that have been devised specifically for this purpose, which can be utilised to assist in achieving this standard. Inadequate analgesia is a welfare issue resulting in anorexia, decreased mobility, altered sleeping and behavioural patterns, delayed wound healing, patient interference and overall delayed recovery (Webber et al, 2012; Crompton, 2014). It is therefore highlighted that pain management should be a priority with every patient to avoid serious implications on patient health.