{"id":1042,"date":"2022-09-19T09:06:57","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T13:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/chapter\/subjective-assessment-overview\/"},"modified":"2024-05-03T15:22:32","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T19:22:32","slug":"subjective-assessment-overview","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/chapter\/subjective-assessment-overview\/","title":{"raw":"Subjective Assessment Overview","rendered":"Subjective Assessment Overview"},"content":{"raw":"A subjective assessment<\/strong> is an important component of evaluating a client\u2019s pain. It is often referred to as a self-report<\/strong> because the client is reporting and describing their own pain as opposed to your observations as a nurse (objective assessment).<\/span>\r\n\r\nA [pb_glossary id=\"1286\"]cultural humility approach[\/pb_glossary] can help you better understand the meaning of a client\u2019s pain. This kind of approach involves having an authentic conversation with the client. How do they understand pain? Some people reserve the word \u201cpain\u201d to describe severe sensations, so they might not refer to a mild symptom as pain. Others may associate pain with vulnerability and use alternative words to describe it. Therefore, if they initially tell you they are not in pain, try rephrasing your question using words such as discomfort, hurt, tenderness, and sensations. When probing further about their pain, it is also a best practice to use the words the client uses.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAnother issue is that some clients believe \u201cgood\u201d clients do not \u201ccomplain\u201d about pain. Thus, it is important to show that you care when you ask about the client\u2019s pain and use a professional and serious tone. It may be helpful to use permission statements depending on the situation. For example, you may say \u201cpain is common after this procedure, do you have any pain?\u201d<\/span>\r\n
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Contextualizing Inclusivity<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\r\nAlthough subjective assessment is an important way to evaluate pain, be aware that not everyone can verbally communicate their pain (e.g., clients who are pre-verbal or non-verbal). Therefore, you should use other types of assessment that focus on behavioural <\/strong>and physiological cues<\/strong>.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAlways remember: Pain is what the client tells you it is<\/strong>. This important adage is worth repeating, because unconscious bias and\/or long-held myths that have no evidence to support them still influence practice. In addition to institutional racism, there are out-dated beliefs that newborns and elderly do not feel as much pain as others, and that people who use illegal substances do not require pain management.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s your job to advocate and ensure that decisions are made based on evidence. The client\u2019s subjective experience is as important as your objective assessment, because you can\u2019t always observe pain.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe main components<\/strong> of a subjective assessment include:<\/span>\r\n