SPS guidelines and tools

On this page you will find guidelines and resources on the subject of “Chronic pain”.

“An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage,”

This definition is expanded upon by the addition of six key Notes and the etymology of the word pain for further valuable context.

  • Pain is always a personal experience that is influenced to varying degrees by biological, psychological, and social factors.
  • Pain and nociception are different phenomena. Pain cannot be inferred solely from activity in sensory neurons.
  • Through their life experiences, individuals learn the concept of pain.
  • A person’s report of an experience as pain should be respected.
  • Although pain usually serves an adaptive role, it may have adverse effects on function and social and psychological well-being.
  • Verbal description is only one of several behaviors to express pain; inability to communicate does not negate the possibility that a human or a nonhuman animal experiences pain.

Source: 16. July 2020 | IASP Announces Revised Definition of Pain

On the Move is a call to healthcare professionals to advise their patients on the importance of physical activity and its role in the prevention, treatment and management of chronic pain.

  • Knowledge,
  • Motivation,
  • Empowerment (using language that patients understand),
  • Environment (physical) that facilitates change, and
  • Realistic planning

are all crucial to achieving this.

Learn more about the campaign

Plain Talking addresses health literacy, which is the ability to access, understand, and use information to promote and maintain good health. The campaign is targeted at both clinicians (and other professionals) and people living with pain, helping the latter understand and actively manage their health. It focuses on improving communication between people living with pain and healthcare professionals by developing a series of materials and useful resources for all.

Learn more about the campaign

The Numerical Rating Scale NRS is a standard in pain assessment and also easy to use for documentation.

Numerical series from 0 to 10: 0 means no pain, 10 means worst pain imaginable. You can ask for the average, lowest, strongest, and current pain level.

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For patients who have difficulty with the numbers, the Verbal Rating Scale VRS is a good choice:

no pain / little / moderate / strong / strongest pain imaginable

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A combination of the two scales can be found in the variant shown below

Source: Messung der Schmerzstärke (schmerzgesellschaft.de)

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For patients with limited cognition or communication, ECPA can be used very well:

ECPA-questionnaire (PDF) (german)
HUG ECPA-questionnaire (PDF) (french)