DN4 Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire
DN4 is a neuropathic-pain feature questionnaire. This page is for clinics. It is not a nerve-conduction study and not a public test.
Overview
What is the DN4?
DN4 asks about symptoms and, in the full clinician version, signs associated with neuropathic pain. A screen is not a diagnosis of a nerve lesion and does not replace examination.
Development and clinical use
Bouhassira and colleagues published the 10-item DN4 in 2005. Seven items come from interviewing the patient and three from the clinician's bedside examination, and each Yes scores one point, with a published cut-off of 4 out of 10.
- Catalogue status
- Educational entry
- Production scoring
- Not independently verified
- Mode
- clinician rating
- Typical use
- Clinician-reviewed intake
- Clinical role
- Neuropathic-feature screening support
Administration
A focused clinician rating
DN4 is completed as a focused clinician rating and stored for clinician review. This public page does not collect answers or return a score.
- One rated item at a time with visible progress
- Keyboard-operable response choices
- Previous, next, and review steps for the rater
- Clear confirmation that the rating is stored for clinic review
The illustration shows layout only. It does not reproduce DN4 item wording.
Report showcase
Designed to make evidence easy to review
The downloadable synthetic example illustrates report layout using invented response patterns, without patient data or instrument questions.
- Named instrument, version, and provenance
- Item-level response pattern without source wording
- Methodology, references, and clinical boundary
- Responsible clinician review rather than automated conclusions
Clinician review required
Methodology
Understand the measure and its scoring conventions
Published scoring conventions may exist in official materials. This public page does not independently verify scoring, cutoffs, or a production scoring rule. Use the official form and scoring instructions for the version you intend to use.
References
- Original DN4 paperBouhassira D et al. Comparison of pain syndromes associated with nervous or somatic lesions and development of a new neuropathic pain diagnostic questionnaire (DN4). Pain. 2005;114(1-2):29-36.
Questions
What clinics ask before they evaluate the DN4
These answers stay inside educational catalogue scope. They do not replace official manuals or clinician judgement.
Does DN4 diagnose neuropathic pain?
No. It screens features. Diagnosis remains a clinician task and may require examination.
Can I complete DN4 here?
No. This page does not collect answers or interpret nerve injury.
Is DN4 the same as painDETECT or LANSS?
No. They are different neuropathic-feature instruments.
Does a DN4 result replace examination?
No. Items 8 to 10 are the clinician's own examination findings, so Lirena records DN4 on the clinician-rated completion page and never sends it to the client portal.