Which screening tool should be used when a patient complains of a headache?

• A. Pain Scale
• B. Blood Pressure
• C. Glucose Test
• D. MRI

Answer: (A)

Assessing pain intensity with a pain scale is the most direct way to quantify how severe a patient's headache is. This simple, quick tool gives a numeric or categorical measure of pain that you can record, monitor over time, and use to guide treatment decisions such as analgesia and triage urgency. Since headaches are a subjective experience, having a standardized way to rate pain helps you gauge how much relief is needed and whether symptoms are improving or worsening.

Other options play supporting roles in specific contexts but aren’t screening the headache itself. Blood pressure is important to check for conditions like hypertensive headaches or emergencies, but it doesn’t measure how much pain the patient feels. A glucose test could be relevant if metabolic issues are suspected, and MRI is an imaging study reserved for when red flags or persistent, unusual headaches indicate the need for detailed visualization of the brain rather than routine screening.