FAS-Functional Activity Scores

We also now use the Functional Activity Score, in addition to the Verbal Rating Score, to assess the impact of pain on function.  The function measured is related to the surgery or injury: we may want to assess a patient's ability to comply with physiotherapy after a knee replacement, or the ability to take a deep breath and cough in a patient with rib fractures, as in the example below.

If pain is limiting a patient's functional recovery, then the pain management plan needs to be adjusted e.g.  Flowchart for analgesia in blunt chest trauma, consider changing to a PCA or regional anaesthetic block.