Session 5 – Pain Assessment (Post-Surgery)

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Level: B1 (OET Medicine)
Duration: 50 minutes
Skills: Listening + Speaking
Theme: Post-surgery pain assessment
Real-life Scenario: A doctor/nurse assessing a patient’s pain after an operation

Objectives (new)

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

  • ✅ Ask questions about pain severity, frequency, and quality using comparatives/superlatives (e.g., milder, more severe, the worst).
  • ✅ Recognise and use common pain descriptors (dull, sharp, throbbing, stabbing, burning, excruciating).
  • ✅ Conduct a structured pain assessment using follow-up questions (location, onset, duration, impact).
  • ✅ Use OET-style empathetic communication (signposting, reassurance).


(Reviewed Objectives: Symptom description from Session 1, lifestyle advice from Session 2, signposting and reassuring from Session 3, note-writing and passive voice from Session 4.)

WordDefinition (doctor-to-patient)Example (from lesson)
dullpain that is not sharp, more like an ache“Is it a dull ache or sharp pain?”
sharpsudden, clear pain“The pain feels sharp when you move?”
throbbingpain that comes in pulses“You may feel a throbbing pain after surgery.”
stabbingpain like being poked with a knife“She described a stabbing pain in the wound.”
burninghot, fiery pain“The patient reports a burning sensation.”
excruciatingextremely severe pain“The pain was excruciating after movement.”

Recap:

What signposting language can you use?
  • “First, let me explain what the test showed …”
  • “What this means for you is that …”
  • “The good news is that …”
  • “It’s not dangerous, just some swelling.”
Last time, we practised writing hospital notes. What information do doctors/nurses need before they write them?

symptoms, pain, actions

Watch


Listen to the following audio of a nurse asking a patient about post-op pain (OET test audio).
What types of words did the patient use to describe pain? How did the doctor respond?

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxC70oTD793DEnn6DnItQjw7NHnbRC_Nd2?si=9wNPJDeL_GMRIWBX

Listening Model (from OET Part A sample – post-op consultation).

Listen to the audio of a patient describing pain after surgery, and complete a short note-filling task (severity, location, duration).

Listen to the consultation between a
doctor and a postsurgery patient on the
ward. Complete the patient chart with
severity, location, duration.
Good morning, Mrs. Lewis. You’ve been in
the surgical ward for 3 days now. How
are you feeling today?
Honestly, doctor, the pain is still
there. It feels sharp when I move, but
at rest, it’s more of a dull ache.
I see. Would you say the sharp pain is
more severe than before or a little
milder now?
It’s definitely more severe when I try
to stand up. Yesterday it was moderate,
but today I’d call it severe. At night,
it was almost excruciating.
I’m sorry to hear that. Can you describe
the frequency of the pain? Is it
constant or does it come and go?
It’s mostly constant, but sometimes it feels
throbbing, almost like a heartbeat in
the wound. Once or twice, I had a sudden
stabbing feeling when I coughed. And do
you feel any burning sensation?
Yes, occasionally it feels burning,
especially around the stitches.
Thank you for explaining that. I can see
some swelling, but the lump is benign,
so there’s no sign of infection or
anything dangerous. The note has already
been written in your observation chart.
That’s a relief.
You also mentioned stiffness in your
leg. Is it worse than before?
Yes, the stiffness is worse than
yesterday.
Okay, I’ll update your care plan. First,
let me explain what this means. The pain
is unpleasant, but it’s normal at this
stage after surgery. The good news is
that with physiootherapy and medication,
it should gradually improve. What this
means for you is that we’ll continue
monitoring your pain closely and adjust
the treatment if necessary.
Thank you, doctor.
You’re welcome. We’ll meet again
tomorrow to check your progress.

Grammar/Functional Focus:

  • Comparatives/superlatives: “Is the pain getting worse or better?” / “Is this the most severe pain you’ve had?”
  • Follow-up questions: “Can you tell me when it started?”, “Does it stay constant or does it come and go?”

Patient Notes – Mrs. Lewis

Background

  • On surgical (1) _______ for 3 days
  • Reports pain after operation

Pain description

  • At rest: feels (2) _______ ache
  • On movement: feels (3) _______ pain
  • Severity yesterday: (4) _______
  • Severity today: (5) _______
  • At night: (6) _______ pain

Frequency/Quality

  • Pain is mostly (7) _______
  • Sometimes feels (8) _______
  • Sudden (9) _______ pain when coughing
  • Occasional (10) _______ sensation near stitches

Other symptoms

  • Some (11) _______ observed, but lump is (12) _______
  • Reports increased (13) _______ in leg

Plan

  • Pain is unpleasant but normal at this stage
  • Progress will be (14) _______
  • Physiotherapy and medication to continue

Teacher’s Answer Key

  1. ward
  2. dull
  3. sharp
  4. moderate
  5. severe
  6. excruciating
  7. constant
  8. throbbing
  9. stabbing
  10. burning
  11. swelling
  12. benign
  13. stiffness
  14. monitored

Role-play (Doctor–Patient)

  • Location: “Where exactly is the pain?”
  • Severity: “On a scale of 1–10, how bad is it?”
  • Frequency: “Does it come and go or is it constant?”
  • Type: “Is it sharp, dull, or burning?”

Listening

Listen to another short patient extract (OET Part A/B) and complete a pain chart (severity, frequency, quality). Then, write 3 follow-up questions you would ask this patient.

Can-do Checklist

✅Use at least 3 pain descriptors.

✅Ask 1 comparative/superlative question.

✅Show empathy (“I understand this must be difficult…”).

📤 Create your own lifestyle questionnaire and ask friends to answer it.

🎥 Write a patient advice note with recommendations for each friend.

Record a shadow reading of the video in the (Instruct and Model) section.

Record your answer to the question in the (Independent Practice) section.

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