Pain scale

“The scale only goes to 10” -my universal reply to any patient who gives me a pain score greater than 10 to try to convince me that their pain is “really bad.”

I can’t chart a 100 and I will force them to give me an actual number on the scale, even if it is a 10. Because then later after meds they’ll tell you that their pain is “so much better” but is “still a 10” and down from their original 100. That’s not how the scale works bro. Or they’ll give me a number with a decimal in it like 7.7. Why do people have to make obtaining a pain score so difficult?? I literally don’t care what number you give me, my ED docs are going to treat your pain anyways, so just say something from 0-10.

I will die on this hill.