First, you need to be able to determine how severe the patient’s pain is. The following chart provides some language you can use to ask the patient to rate the severity of their pain.
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
---|---|---|
Rate the pain on a 1-10 scale with 10 being the worst pain ever. | Califique su dolor en la escala del uno al diez, donde diez es el peor. | kah-lee-fee-kay soo doe-lore ain lah ace-kah-lah dale oo-no ahl dee-ace doan-day dee-ace ale pay-ore |
one | uno | This is a patient response. |
two | dos | This is a patient response. |
three | tres | This is a patient response. |
four | cuatro | This is a patient response. |
five | cinco | This is a patient response. |
six | seis | This is a patient response. |
seven | siete | This is a patient response. |
eight | ocho | This is a patient response. |
nine | nueve | This is a patient response. |
ten | diez | This is a patient response. |
You will also need to know how long the patient has been experiencing the pain. The following chart provides language that you can use to inquire about the time of pain.
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
---|---|---|
When did the pain start? | ¿Cuándo comenzó su dolor? | k’wahn-doe koh-main-so soo doe-lore |
(#) hours ago. | Hace (#) horas. | This is a patient response. |
(#) days ago. | Hace (#) días. | This is a patient response. |
(#) weeks ago. | Hace (#) semanas. | This is a patient response. |
It began yesterday. | Comenzó ayer. | This is a patient response. |
It began last night. | Comenzó anoche. | This is a patient response. |
It began last week. | Comenzó la semana pasada. | This is a patient response. |
How long did it last? | ¿Cuánto duró su dolor? | k’wahn-toe doo-row soo doe-lore |
It lasted (#) hours. | Duró (#) horas | This is a patient response. |
It lasted (#) days. | Duró (#) días. | This is a patient response. |
It lasted (#) weeks. | Duró (#) semanas. | This is a patient response. |
Has it recurred? | ¿Le ocurrió de nuevo? | lay oh-koo-ree-oh day noo-ay-bow |
Yes. | Sí. | This is a patient response. |
No. | No. | This is a patient response. |
If you are following up on a previous visit, you can use the questions below to ask if the patient's pain has improved since the last time.
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
---|---|---|
Did the medication make the pain better? | ¿El medicamento mejoró su dolor? | k’wahn-doe koh-main-so soo doe-lore |
Did the change in position make the pain better? | ¿El cambio en la posición mejoró su dolor? | ale kahm-bee-oh ain lah po-see-see-own may-ho-row soo doe-lore |
Did the therapy make the pain better? | ¿La terapia mejoró su dolor? | ah tay-rah-pee-ah may-ho-row soo doe-lore |
Yes. | Sí. | This is a patient response. |
No. | No. | This is a patient response. |
A little. | Un poco. | This is a patient response. |
The following are additional questions you can ask to learn more about a patient's pain.
English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
---|---|---|
Have you had a recent accident? | ¿Ha tenido un accidente recientemente? | ah tay-nee-doe oon ak-see-dain-tay ray-see-ain-tay-main-tay |
Yes. | Sí. | This is a patient response. |
I fell down. | Me caí. | This is a patient response. |
I had a car wreck. | Tuve un choque de carro. | This is a patient response. |
No. | No. | This is a patient response. |
Do you have a family history of high blood pressure, stroke, or heart disease? | ¿Tiene un historial familiar de alta presión de la sangre, ataques, o enfermedades del corazón? | tee-ay-nay oon ee-store-ee-all fah-mee-lee-ahr day all-tah pray-see-own day lah sahn-gray ah-tah-kace oh ain-fair-may-dah-dace dale ko-rah-soan |
No. | No. | This is a patient response. |
Yes, of... (one of the above) | Sí, de… | This is a patient response. |
Yes, my (family member) has… | Sí, mi (family member) tiene… | This is a patient response. |
mother / father | madre / padre | This is a patient response. |
grandfather / grandmother | abuelo / abuela | This is a patient response. |
brother / sister | hermano / hermana | This is a patient response. |
son / daughter | hijo / hija | This is a patient response. |
uncle / aunt | tío / tía | This is a patient response. |
cousin | primo / prima | This is a patient response. |
Call me if you need any pain medicine. | Llámeme si necesita algún medicamento para el dolor. | yah-may-may see nay-say-see-tah all-goon may-dee-kah-main-toe pah-rah ale doe-lore |
What have you been doing to ease the discomfort? | ¿Qué ha estado haciendo para calmar el dolor? | kay ah ay-stah-doe ah-see-ain-doe pah-rah call-mar ale doe-lore |
Would you like to take some pain medication? | ¿Le gustaría tomar medicamento para el dolor? | lay goose-tah-ree-ah toe-mar may-dee-kah-main-toe pah-rah ale doe-lore |
I am going to give you a shot for your pain. | Voy a tratar su dolor con una inyección. | boy ah trah-tar sue doe-lore cone oo-nah een-yake-see-own |
I will need to examine you to try to see why you are experiencing pain. | Tendré que examinarlo para tratar de ver por qué está teniendo esos dolores. | tain-dray kay ake-sah-me-nahr pah-rah trah-tar day bear pour kay ace-tah tay-knee-ain-doe ay-sohs doe-lore-ace |
How can I make you more comfortable now? | ¿Qué puedo hacer para que se sienta mejor ahora? | kay p’way-doe ah-sare pah-rah kay say see-ain-tah may-hor ah-oh-rah |
You could give / bring me… | Puede darme / traerme… | This is a patient response. |
medicine | la medicina | This is a patient response. |
ice pack | la compresa fría | This is a patient response. |
heating pad | la compresa calor | This is a patient response. |
You could allow me… | Puede permitirme… | This is a patient response. |
to rest | descansar | This is a patient response. |
to change position | cambiarme de posición | This is a patient response. |
If you are struggling with a concept or terminology in the course, you may contact SpanishforNursesSupport@capella.edu for assistance.
If you are having technical issues, please contact learningcoach@sophia.org.
Source: This content has been adapted from "Spanish for Nurses" by Stephanie Langston.