It's an experience that most everyone has had at a doctor or hospital visit, where at some point, usually early on, the question 'on a scale of 0-10, what's your level of pain?' comes up. Then, before the visit wraps up, you may be asked that question again.
But the assessment of pain along with its treatment is being questioned right now. As is the way pain scales are applied in the exam room. While a numerical scale itself is not to blame, some worry the current approaches have contributed to the nation's prescription drug epidemic. And even though that 0 to 10 assessment seems ubiquitous in health care today, it's actually a relatively recent phenomenon.
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