NRS

Medical abbreviation · Patient Assessment

NRS
Stands forNumeric rating scale
CategoriesMedical

NRS stands for Numeric rating scale, a patient assessment abbreviation.

Pain scale asking patients to rate their pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). It is the most widely used self-report pain measure in adult hospitals and clinics.

Example: Pain 7/10 on NRS, sharp, right flank; reassess 30 min after IV morphine.

Usage notes

Mild pain is usually taken as 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6 and severe 7 to 10, though treatment should follow function and the patient's goal, not the number alone. Patients who cannot use numbers may use a verbal or faces scale. Reassessment after each intervention is expected by most pain policies.

More patient assessment abbreviations

  • MEWS – Modified Early Warning Score
  • MMM – Moist mucous membranes
  • NABS – Normoactive bowel sounds
  • NCAT – Normocephalic, atraumatic
  • NEWS2 – National Early Warning Score 2
  • NIBP – Noninvasive blood pressure
  • NT/ND – Nontender, nondistended
  • NVI – Neurovascularly intact
  • OPQRST – Onset, provocation, quality, region/radiation, severity, time
  • P – Pulse
  • PAINAD – Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia
  • PEWS – Pediatric Early Warning Score

See all 65 patient assessment abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.