Objective Method for Pain Detection/Diagnosis

Abstract : Pain is a subjective experience that is reflected in both behavioral and physiologic responses. It is inherently difficult to objectively assess and/or quantify [1, 2], yet appropriate treatment and management of pain is predicated on adequate assessment. Whenever possible, the existence and intensity of pain are measured by the patient's self-report [2, 3]. Patients who cannot reliably self-report their pain, due to underlying medical conditions or concurrent treatments, are at significantly higher risk for inadequately managed pain [1]. For example patients in the intensive care unit, older adults with dementia, patients with major cognitive or communicative impairments, infants, and patients under general anesthesia may not be able to reliably self-report [1, 4-7]. For them, other strategies must be used to assess pain. Consistently, multi-dimensional approaches to pain assessment have proven superior to metrics focused on a single variable [1, 4]. No single clinical indicator is sufficient to assess pain. Therefore, it is critical to combine behavioral pain assessment with physiological monitoring, and to interpret behaviors in a patient specific context [2].