Rate your pain, thinking, energy, and optimism: my four indicator rating system
When I was in orthopedic rehab I was consistently asked by nurses to rate my pain on a 10 point scale with 10 being the worse possible and 0 being non existent. Fortunately, I didn't have much pain but there were other measures I thought were more relevant to my experience and wondered why they didn't ask about them? So I developed my own model of relevant factors which wound up numbering 4. The three indicators in addition to pain were cognitive clarity and concentration, energy level, and optimism/pessimism.
So I could imagine the nurse coming into my room when I was bed ridden with my two leg braces at full extension and my gall bladder infection raging and asking:
"Mr. Markham, please rate your pain on a scale of 1 - 10?
Mr. Markham, please rate your thinking and concentration on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being confused and disoriented and 10 clear as a bell?
Mr. Markham, please rate your energy level on a scale of 1 - 10 with 1 being inert totally lethargic and 10 being rip roaring ready for anything?
Mr. Markham, please rate your level of optimism/pessimism on a scale of 1 - 10 with 1 being "wish you were dead" to 10 the world is your oyster and you have everything to live for?
So right now on August 1, 2024, at 10:19 AM I would give the following ratings:
Pain = 1
Thinking = 9
Energy = 9
Optimism = 9
The four indicator rating system recognizes and acknowledges that there more kinds of pain than just physical. If health providers are to serve the whole person they need to assess more than just physical pain.