Study guide · Pain Assessment
The first two minutes: pain
A practical sequence for basic pain questions. Elena is the patient in this example.
Use these phrases to ask basic questions and pass the patient's answers to the nurse. This exercise is not a clinical assessment and does not replace the nurse or a qualified medical interpreter.
Work through the steps in order. Review the phrase ID and the patient's answer, then answer the check question. If you cannot understand the answer, do not guess. Stop and get language support.
Step 01
Find the pain
Ask where the patient feels pain. If the patient points or gestures, report the location they indicate. If the answer suggests a potentially urgent concern, notify the nurse and get a qualified interpreter.
Say this:
¿Dónde le duele?
Where does it hurt?
Say this:
Señale dónde le duele.
Point to where it hurts.
Elena says back:
Me duele aquí, en el pecho.
It hurts here, in my chest.
Check: Elena answered with two pieces of information. Name both.
Where: her chest. And how: she showed you. The gesture is part of the answer.
Stop here: Chest pain is a care-changing answer. You finish the opening line, and you get the interpreter. You do not work up chest pain solo in Spanish.
Step 02
Get the clock
Ask when the pain began. The patient may give additional context; report the timing and relevant details without deciding what they mean.
Say this:
¿Cuándo empezó el dolor?
When did the pain start?
Elena says back:
Empezó esta mañana, como a las siete.
It started this morning, around seven.
Check: Her answer had extra detail. Which part actually answers your question?
The clock time. The rest is context. Take the time, keep the context for the nurse.
Step 03
Get the number
Ask the patient to rate the pain using the scale provided. Report the number and any additional words the patient uses.
Say this:
En una escala de cero a diez, ¿qué tan fuerte es su dolor?
On a scale of zero to ten, how strong is your pain?
Elena says back:
Un ocho. Me duele mucho.
An eight. It hurts a lot.
Check: She gave you a number and a comment. Which one do you chart?
The number. The comment is how she feels about the number. And you do not argue with the number. An eight is an eight.
Step 04
Get the words
Ask for the description used in the exercise. Do not treat a word as a diagnosis. If the answer is unclear, get language support.
Say this:
¿El dolor es agudo o sordo?
Is the pain sharp or dull?
Say this:
¿El dolor es ardiente, punzante o palpitante?
Is the pain burning, stabbing, or throbbing?
Elena says back:
Es agudo, como una puñalada.
It is sharp, like a stabbing.
Check: Two questions gave you one word. Why ask both?
The second question checks the first. If the words match, you understood her. That is the comprehension check doing its job.
Step 05
Get the pattern
Ask whether the pain comes and goes or stays constant. Do not infer severity or urgency from this answer alone. Follow the clinical process and report concerns.
Say this:
¿El dolor va y viene, o es constante?
Does the pain come and go, or is it constant?
Say this:
¿El dolor lo despierta en la noche?
Does the pain wake you up at night?
Elena says back:
Va y viene. A veces no siento nada.
It comes and goes. Sometimes I feel nothing.
Check: Right now she feels fine. Does that lower the urgency?
No. Intermittent pain is still real pain. And the night waking raises the urgency, not lowers it. Do not let a good moment between waves fool you.
Step 06
Find what moves it
Ask what makes the pain better or worse. Pass the patient's answer to the nurse without translating it into a diagnosis.
Say this:
¿Hay algo que mejore o empeore el dolor?
Does anything make the pain better or worse?
Say this:
¿Qué le mejora el dolor?
What makes the pain better?
Say this:
¿Qué le empeora el dolor?
What makes the pain worse?
Elena says back:
Cuando respiro profundo, empeora.
When I breathe deeply, it gets worse.
Check: She answered with an action. What do you do with it?
You repeat it to the nurse exactly as she said it: the pain gets worse when she breathes deeply. You do not decide what it means.
Stop here: Worse with deep breathing is a tell-the-nurse answer. That is the stop rule working: the answer changes the picture, so you stop the Spanish and get the interpreter.
Step 07
Ask what is already in her
Ask what the patient has taken and whether they have allergies, following the unit's process. If the answer is unclear or raises concern, pause and contact the nurse and qualified interpreter.
Say this:
¿Ha tomado algo para el dolor?
Have you taken anything for the pain?
Say this:
¿Es alérgico a algún medicamento?
Are you allergic to any medications?
Elena says back:
No, ninguna alergia.
No, no allergies.
Check: She answered the allergy question with a shrug. Do you move on?
No. A shrug is not an answer. You wait for a clear yes or a clear no before anyone touches a medication cart.
Stop here: A yes to the allergy question stops everything. You get the interpreter and the nurse. Nothing moves until that answer is fully understood.
Step 08
Offer, promise nothing
If the patient asks for pain relief, tell the nurse. Do not promise medication or a wait time unless the care team has confirmed it.
Say this:
¿Quiere algo para el dolor?
Do you want something for the pain?
Say this:
Le voy a dar medicina para el dolor.
I am going to give you medicine for the pain.
Say this:
La medicina tarda treinta minutos en hacer efecto.
The medicine takes thirty minutes to work.
Elena says back:
Gracias. ¿Cuánto va a tardar?
Thank you. How long will it take?
Check: She asked how long it will take. What do you say?
You do not answer with a time. You tell her you will ask the nurse, and you pass the question on. A wait time is the care team's to give, not yours to guess.
Stop here: Her yes to medicine is not a prescription. Orders and the allergy check come first. If any of that is unclear, the interpreter comes before the medication cart.
Step 09
Ask where else
Ask whether the patient has pain anywhere else. If the answer suggests a new or urgent concern, stop the exercise, notify the nurse, and get a qualified interpreter.
Say this:
¿Siente dolor en alguna otra parte?
Do you feel pain anywhere else?
Elena says back:
Sí, también me duele el brazo izquierdo.
Yes, my left arm hurts too.
Check: This is the answer that ends the Spanish. Why?
Chest pain reaching the left arm. Stop. Get the interpreter. Tell the nurse her exact words.
Stop here: This step IS the stop. There is no solo Spanish past this answer.
Step 10
Leave a safety net
Make sure the patient can reach the call bell and knows how to request help. Follow the unit's instructions for reporting symptoms.
Say this:
Avíseme si el dolor empeora.
Tell me if the pain gets worse.
Say this:
Avíseme si el dolor cambia de cualquier manera.
Tell me if the pain changes in any way.
Elena says back:
Sí, le aviso.
Yes, I will let you know.
Check: You said the line. What did you forget?
The call bell. Show her how to reach you before you leave.
The last line
Use these phrases to practice asking basic questions. The nurse remains responsible for clinical assessment and decisions, and a qualified interpreter should support conversations that affect care.
El dolor es lo que usted dice que es.