Pain is one of the main factors influencing quality of life; its incidence is higher than is generally assumed. Pain is not spontaneously reported in all cases; it should be asked about more often. Not measuring pain is one of the main reasons for inadequate pain treatment. Pain should be assessed and recorded more routinely in both primary and secondary healthcare. This can be done in simple and quick ways. Self-reporting using a visual-analogue scale or numeric rating scale is the preferred method. This can be done even by patients with a mild cognitive disorder. Several simple and reliable observational scales exist for patients who cannot report well, e.g. elderly patients with a cognitive disorder or young children. For chronic pain, the low-threshold use of a multi-dimensional scale will increase the likelihood of successful treatment.