proms & functionquestionnaire

PEG Pain Scale

The PEG is an ultra-brief 3-item pain assessment scale measuring Pain intensity, interference with Enjoyment of life, and interference with General activity. The score is the average of the three items (0–10). It is designed for longitudinal monitoring of chronic pain in primary care.

questionnaire

✓ when to use

Use for chronic pain monitoring at every clinical encounter. The PEG takes under 30 seconds and captures both intensity and functional impact. Ideal for tracking treatment response over time — a ≥30% reduction is considered clinically meaningful. Recommended for routine use in primary care pain management.

✗ when not to use

PEG is a monitoring tool for chronic pain, not an acute pain assessment. It does not diagnose pain conditions or guide specific treatments. Not validated as a screening tool for new pain presentations. For more comprehensive pain assessment, consider the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI).

clinical pearls

  • PEG is one of the most efficient pain assessment tools — 3 items, under 30 seconds, captures intensity AND functional impact. It is ideal for busy primary care settings.
  • The score is the simple average of the three items. If P=7, E=8, G=6, PEG = (7+8+6)/3 = 7.0.
  • A ≥30% reduction in PEG score is the standard clinically meaningful improvement threshold. This is more useful than absolute score targets for tracking treatment response.
  • PEG captures functional interference, not just intensity. A patient whose pain intensity hasn't changed but whose enjoyment and activity have improved is genuinely better — and the PEG will show this.
  • In opioid prescribing contexts, documenting PEG scores at each visit demonstrates whether the treatment is providing functional benefit, not just analgesia. This supports evidence-based prescribing and deprescribing decisions.

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