In the pain assessment mnemonic PQRST, what does the letter T stand for?

• A. Timing
• B. Tolerance
• C. Type
• D. Trigger

Answer: (A)

PQRST helps you build a complete picture of a patient’s pain, and the T part specifically focuses on timing. Timing looks at when the pain started, how long it lasts, and how often it occurs. This temporal information distinguishes between acute versus chronic pain and between constant versus intermittent pain, which directly informs decisions about analgesia timing, dosing intervals, and monitoring for changes.

Tolerance is about how much pain a person can endure, not when or how the pain comes and goes. Type refers to the quality or character of the pain (for example, aching, sharp, or throbbing) and is covered by the quality component. Trigger relates to what provokes or worsens the pain and belongs in the provoking/palliating part. So Timing is the best fit for the T in the PQRST framework. For example, noting that pain began 2 hours ago and recurs every 4 hours for about 15 minutes helps tailor treatment and reassessment.