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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