Pain Scores Do Not Correlate with Vital Signs in the Prehospital Setting

A common belief is that pain causes changes to vital signs. Researchers assessed the correlation between pain scores and vital signs in a retrospective study of 1286 awake adult patients who were transported by paramedics in Melbourne, Australia, and who self-reported pain scores on a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale.

The median initial pain score was 6 (range, 0–10); possible causes of pain were traumatic in 31% of patients and cardiac in 13%. Mean heart rate was 85 beats per minute, mean systolic blood pressure was 139 mm Hg, and mean respiratory rate was 18 breaths per minute. No clinically meaningful correlation was found between pain scores and any vital sign, either initially or over time.