Pain assessment and control should he a priority within nursing but pain is often underassessed and unrelieved. Pain is difficult to assess as it is complex and subjective, and assessment is influenced by many factors. A pain assessment tool can he invaluable as it can aid the patient to communicate his or her pain. remove the subjectivity of assessment, and promote a systematic approach. A variety of pain assessment tools have been developed and used in clinical settings with subsequent improvements in assessment. They each have specific attributes, and their place in clinical practice is considered. It is concluded that the use of pain assessment tools is advantageous, and the reasons why they are not used more widely are considered

According to Walker and Campbell (1), pain assessment and control should be a priority within nursing. Yet pain may often be underassessed and unrelieved (2,3), and the reasons for this are complex and varied (4). It is pointed out by many that for the planning of effective nursing interventions for pain, individual assessment is essential, and thus assessment tools are necessary (5,6,7). The nature of pain The complexity of pain is often referred to (8,9). McCaffery (10) believes that it defies a satisfactory definition, while Melzack and Wall (11) state that pain has never been defined adequately, as research is not advanced enough to reach an accurate definition, particularly as the experience is so diverse. The individuality and subjectiveness of pain is also emphasised by many (9,11,12).