PAIN ASSESSMENT AS A FIFTH VITAL SIGN IN PHYSICAL THERAPY

Abstract

Introduction: The pain is so universal that recognition should be an essential ability of health professionals. For being considered subjective and expressed in different ways, several scales were designed to measure the pain of the individual within the evaluation process. Aim: To recognize which pain scale best applies in the pain assessment by physiotherapists for its implementation in a hospital physiotherapy service. Methods: It is a qualitative and quantitative transversal study, with a convenience sample of physiotherapists and adult patients hospitalized in the Hospital Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz do Sul-RS. It consisted of four steps: applying a questionnaire to the physiotherapists; applying a questionnaire to the patients; using the pain by physiotherapists scale; new application questionnaire with the physiotherapists. Results: the questionnaire addressed to the physiotherapists (n = 15) obtained the numerical scale as the favorite because it was easier to understand (53.33%) and more cost-effective (53.33%). In applying the questionnaire to the patients (n = 23) they preferred the visual analogue scale (VAS) because it was considered to be easier to understand (pratical test = 39.13%, test = 43.48%). The VAS was implemented in the hospital physiotherapy service by 08 physiotherapists in their evaluation and treatments. In monitoring the use of VAS, in the physiotherapist records, it was their most effective use of evaluation and by physiotherapists. Conclusions: It was possible to verify the recognition of the pain scale that best applies in the assessment of this symptom as the fifth vital sign, as well as recognition from the physiotherapists and patients the most appropriate as to understand, that is, the VAS.