No Correlation Between Vital Signs and Self-Reported Pain Scores

You’ve heard the comment: “That patient’s pain score can’t be 10 out of 10 because his vital signs are normal!” To determine whether there is a correlation between self-reported pain scores and abnormal vital signs, researchers reviewed data on vital signs from the charts of 1063 patients older than 17 who presented with painful conditions to a single emergency department.

Fractures and kidney stones were the most common conditions, each diagnosed in approximately one quarter of the patients. Pain was assessed on an 11-point verbal scale, with 0 representing no pain and 10 representing worst pain. At triage, the mean pain score was 7, with scores ranging from 0 to 10. Mean heart rate was 85 beats per minute, mean systolic blood pressure was …