After analgesia administration, which sign indicates effective pain control?

• A. Decrease to 2/10.
• B. Increase to 8/10.
• C. Remain at 6/10.
• D. Pain scale is unreliable.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that effective pain control shows a lower pain rating after giving analgesia. When pain relief works, the numeric pain score should drop to a mild level. A decrease to 2/10 indicates the patient is experiencing only mild pain, which is typically the goal of analgesia. In contrast, rising to 8/10 means pain is worse, and remaining at 6/10 shows little or no relief. Saying the pain scale is unreliable isn’t appropriate here, since a lower score after treatment is the standard sign that analgesia is effective. For context, many clinicians aim for a pain score in the mild range (around 1–3/10) after treatment, and re-evaluate after the expected onset time of the medication.