In the pain assessment framework OPQRST, Provocation asks:

• A. Where is the pain located?
• B. What makes your pain better or worse?
• C. When did the pain begin?
• D. How severe is the pain on a scale of 1 to 10?

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is that Provocation in the OPQRST framework asks about factors that trigger or relieve the pain. It’s about what makes the pain worse and what helps it feel better, which helps you pinpoint possible causes and guide care. For example, if pain worsens with activity and eases with rest or a medication, that pattern helps differentiate things like cardiac pain versus musculoskeletal pain. The other elements of OPQRST cover where the pain is, when it began, how the pain feels, and how bad it is, which is why those prompts don’t fit this specific aspect of the assessment.