Pain assessment and pain scoring models: a review
Abstract
With increasing awareness within the veterinary profession of the importance of recognizing pain in animals, it has become essential to ensure that the duty of care for patients includes assessing the animal for pain with the possible use of a good pain scoring model. There is much debate about the best possible intervention to achieve this goal, and with differing opinions on assessing pain a review of the literature revealed that a multidimentional approach, including physiological and behavioural responses of the patient and staff training in the use of a pain scoring model, achieved the best possible results.
There is increasing awareness within the veterinary profession of the importance of good management of post-operative pain (Slingsby and Waterman-Pearson, 1998; Morton et al 2005). Potential complications with the patient may arise if pain is uncontrolled. Uncontrolled pain may result in the animal becoming anorexic, or negative changes occurring to the patient's vital parameters, including negative behavioural changes (Logan, 2007).
Methods for evaluating pain post operatively in animals may prove to be difficult. The inability of patients to accurately express their feelings of pain or suffering increases the duty of care of those who undertake this responsibility. However, in spite of the difficulties veterinary clinicians should produce valid, reliable pain assessment tools for patients that are incapable of self reporting (Morton et al, 2005; Robertson, 2007).
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