The FDA has approved a new device called "PAIN," short for Pain Acquiring Instrument Neat-O, an instrument which gives a patient's actual pain score on a 10-point scale. It's actually being used in a Jersey City, NJ ER.
I'll try to go back and get the link so you can all read the article if you're interested. But basically it tells what your true pain level is. The article gives an example of how when asked what a patient's pain is at on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst pain imagine able, patients often answer 10 even though that's akin to being lit on fire or stabbed repeatedly in the thigh with a knife.
Now, personally I think being lit on fire would be more painful than being stabbed in the thigh but hopefully I'll never have to find out first hand. But I see this as yet another tactic to deny chronic pain patients opioid medications.
I know many of us have more than one CP condition, and I don't think this device can take that into account. And pain is very subjective. I have a high pain tolerance. So does my oldest son. He had knee surgery and only took Advil. He had 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed, came home, took some ibuprofen, a half hour nap and was up and out. And he ate chicken for dinner. My oldest daughter has a low pain threshold but when you see her, it's very apparent she's in a lot of pain. I also red an article a while back that said red heads feel pain more easily than blondes or brunettes.
I think maybe this device has a place. Non-communicative patients, babies, stroke patients, certain types of mentally challenged patients may all benefit from this. But I see it causing yet another hurdle for CP patients.
Thoughts?