For preparations for interventional procedures, please check with the specific procedure (see 'Related procedures' at right). If you are taking blood thinners, please tell the receptionist when making your booking. This will allow the radiologist to assess whether it is safe to do the procedure.

On the day of your appointment, please bring any relevant previous x-rays, ultrasound, CT or MRI scans, and please also tell the radiologist if you are allergic to any medications.

It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing with easy access. 

The Patient Pain Score is a free tool that tracks how your pain changes before and after a pain procedure at I-MED. After your procedure, you'll receive a short series of text messages asking you to rate your pain at specific time points. Your responses are compiled into a report that you, your I-MED radiologist, and your referring doctor can all access, giving everyone a clear, measurable picture of how the procedure has worked for you.

Pain is personal and often hard to describe in words. The Pain Score gives your care team objective, comparable data, a number before the procedure and numbers afterwards, so your improvement (or lack of it) can be measured rather than estimated. It helps your doctor decide whether the treatment has worked, whether a follow-up procedure might help, or whether a different approach should be considered. It's also a way for I-MED to continuously improve the care it provides. 

The Pain Score is available across all I-MED clinics in Queensland, New South Wales*, the Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania, but only at clinics where pain procedures are performed. If you're unsure whether it applies to your appointment, ask the clinic when you book. 

*Excluding suburbs in Inner West Sydney 

Participating in the pain score is optional. Patients receiving interventional imaging will receive one SMS asking them to provide their pre-appointment score and their 1-day post-procedure score. If the patient provides these scores, the patient will then receive a second SMS asking for their final data point. If the patient does not provide the third score, a partial report will be generated to show their pre and post procedure scores. If the patient does not provide scores 1 & 2, no report will be generated. If the patient provides the 3rd score, a full report is generated showing their 3 pain scores.

The Pain Score is designed for interventional pain procedures, such as facet joint injections, lumbar epidural corticosteroid injections, nerve root sleeve injections, joint injections, bursal injections, shoulder hydrodilatation, and similar image-guided treatments. It does not apply to diagnostic procedures such as scans or biopsies. 

You'll receive three text messages. The first arrives within 24 hours of your procedure and asks you to rate your pain at two points: before the treatment, and one day after. The second message is sent 7 days after the procedure and asks for your final post-treatment pain score. The third message is sent once your three scores have been compiled into a report and includes a link to access that report through your My I-MED portal.

The survey uses a visual pain scale delivered via a link in the text message. You don't need to prepare anything in advance. Simply tap the link when you receive it and follow the prompts. It's designed to be quick and straightforward to complete on a smartphone.

Should you choose not to participate, the pain score will not be included in your report. 

 Once a patient’s three pain scores have been consolidated, a text message containing a link will be sent to the patient’s My I-MED portal, where a PDF of the pain score report can be found. Patients can validate their My I-MED account with a one-time-password, linked to their mobile phone number.  

Yes. The consolidated report is accessible to your referring practitioner through I-MED Online, I-MED's referrer portal. This means your GP or specialist can review your pain scores before or at your follow-up appointment, without you needing to bring or forward the report yourself.

Yes. My I-MED maintains a single repository of your past pain scores, which can be useful for tracking your response to treatment over time and informing future care decisions.

 A report is generated once all three pain score responses have been collected, the last of which is requested 7 days after your procedure. Allow a short processing period after that final response. The third text message you receive will notify you when the report is ready to view in My I-MED.

 A Pain Score that shows limited improvement doesn't necessarily mean the procedure failed. Pain is complex, and some procedures take longer to reach their full effect than the 7-day window captures. What it does mean is that your doctor has useful, objective information to work with at your follow-up. They may recommend a repeat procedure, a different approach, or additional investigation. The Pain Score is a clinical tool to support that conversation, not a pass/fail result.

If your Pain Score reflects a good result and your symptoms have resolved, that's the outcome the procedure was aiming for. Your referring doctor may still want a follow-up to review the report and discuss whether any further management is needed, depending on the underlying condition being treated.

Some temporary increase in pain is common in the first 24–48 hours after an injection, particularly as the local anaesthetic wears off before the corticosteroid takes effect. If your pain is significantly worse, persists beyond a few days, or is accompanied by fever, redness, or swelling at the injection site, contact your referring doctor or the I-MED clinic promptly.

 Your pain score data is part of your medical record and is subject to the same privacy protections as all other health information held by I-MED. It is accessible to your treating I-MED radiologist and your referring practitioner through I-MED Online. It is not shared with third parties without your consent. For full details, see I-MED's Privacy Policy at i-med.com.au/your-privacy. 

Patient data will not be used for research purposes, but it will be shared with your referrer as part of feedback on the effectiveness of the treatment