Pain and Its Measurement

Pain causes living beings to avoid dangerous and unpleasant stimuli and thereby plays an important role in preserving life. Although the presence of pain is essential for survival, this phenomenon often loses its warning and adaptive role, causing various problems. How those around respond to the pain the patient endures, as well as the healthcare system of the individual’s society, significantly affects the intensity of pain, the individual’s reaction to treatments, and the level of disability. Pain impacts quality of life; therefore, identifying and emphasizing the role pain has in mental and physical health is considered one of the components of an advanced healthcare system.