1 Before you use it
What it is
Fifteen pain descriptors — 11 sensory, 4 affective — each rated 0–3, plus a visual analogue scale and a present pain intensity item.
The affective descriptors are what no numeric scale captures: gruelling, sickening, fearful, punishing.
When to reach for it
Persistent or complex pain presentations where the quality of the pain is the useful information — and where the descriptors themselves will tell you more than a number.
Patterns it serves · 2
2 Giving it
Scoring
Sensory (0–33) and affective (0–12) subscales, plus the total (0–45), the VAS and the PPI. Report the two subscales.
What it doesn’t measure
Function, interference or disability.
3 Reading the score
Interpreting it
A high affective score with a modest sensory one is a meaningful clinical pattern and points the conversation somewhere different.
Is the change real?
Student trap. Summing it to one number. The sensory/affective split is the whole reason to use it.
Official source: mcgill.ca. We don't host the form.
This is a learning tool. It does not diagnose patients and does not replace your clinical educator.
Did this page do its job?
CliniStudy is in beta. One tap is enough — it decides what gets fixed first.