The science of pain measurement and the frustration of clinical pain assessment: Does an individualized numerical rating scale bridge the gap for children with intellectual disabilities?

Pain ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Breau
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Pain Assessment ◽  
Pain Measurement ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating Scale ◽  
Clinical Pain ◽  
Numerical Rating

scholarly journals Individual Differences and Similarities in the Judgement of Facial Pain: A Mixed Method Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1186-1194
Author(s):  
Sheila Glenn ◽  
Helen Poole ◽  
Paula Oulton
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Pain Assessment ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating Scale ◽  
Pain Catastrophizing ◽  
Sensory Sensitivity ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Numerical Rating

Accurate assessment of pain by health-care professionals is essential to ensure optimal management of pain. An under-researched area is whether personality characteristics affect perception of pain in others. The aims were (a) to determine whether individual differences are associated with participants’ ability to assess pain, and (b) to determine facial cues used in the assessment of pain. One hundred and twenty-eight undergraduate students participated. They completed questionnaire assessments of empathy, pain catastrophizing, sensory sensitivity and emotional intelligence. They then viewed and rated four adult facial images (no, medium, and high pain—12 images total) using a 0–10 numerical rating scale, and noted the reasons for their ratings. (a) Empathy was the only characteristic associated with accuracy of pain assessment. (b) Descriptions of eyes and mouth, and eyes alone were most commonly associated with assessment accuracy. This was the case despite variations in the expression of pain in the four faces. Future studies could evaluate the effect on accuracy of pain assessment of (a) training empathic skills for pain assessment, and (b) emphasizing attention to the eyes, and eyes and mouth.

scholarly journals Acute Pain Assessment Inadequacy in the Emergency Department: Patients’ Perspective

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 237437352110496
Author(s):  
Jenni Hämäläinen ◽  
Tarja Kvist ◽  
Päivi Kankkunen
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
Pain Assessment ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating ◽  
Emergency Department Patients ◽  
Pain At Rest ◽  
Patients Perspective

For many patients, acute pain is a common cause to seek treatment in an Emergency Department (ED). An inadequate assessment could cause inappropriate pain management. The aim of this study was to describe and explain patients’ perceptions of acute pain assessment in the Emergency Department. The data were collected from ED patients (n = 114). Patients reported that nurses were asking about intensity of pain at rest, but only 52% during movement. According to the patients, the most common tools to assess acute pain were the verbal rating scale (VRS; 54% of patients), numerical rating scale (NRS; 28% of patients), and visual analogue scale (VAS; 9.7% of patients). Over twenty per cent of patients stated that ED nurses did not ask about the intensity of pain after analgesic administration. Twenty-four per cent of the patients were not pleased with nursing pain assessment in the ED. The assessment of acute pain is still inadequate in the ED. Therefore, ED nurses need to be more attentive to systematic acute pain management of patients in the ED.

scholarly journals Measuring Pain Intensity in Elderly Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-81
Author(s):  
Sasikaan Nimmaanrat
Keyword(s):  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Vital Sign ◽  
Pain Measurement ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating Scale ◽  
Pain Scale ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Numerical Rating

Pain intensity is considered as the fifth vital sign. However, it is the only vital sign which is subjective, with there being many pain measurement tools for adults to rate their level of pain. Additionally, there is an increasing number of aging populations throughout the world, and pain measurement in this group of people is challenging as geriatrics have both physical and cognitive impairment. The most frequently utilized pain measurement tools are; the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Verbal Rating Scale (VRS), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS); and faces scales [Faces Pain Scale (FPS) and Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) are the faces scales studied most often] tend to be valid for measuring pain severity in cognitively intact elderly. When problems arise, the VAS is the pain measurement tool found to have more difficulties (including higher rates of failure) than the other tools. In elderly with cognitive deficits, fewer difficulties tend to occur as the tools become simpler, with the most valid and useful tools in the following order: the FPS/FPS-R, the VRS, the 0-10 NRS, and the VAS. Furthermore, simpler pain measurement tools tend to be favored over more complicated tools. Keywords: aging; elderly; geriatrics; older; pain measurement; pain measurement tools

scholarly journals Pain Assessment in Emergency Department of Teaching Hospital in Lalitpur

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-213
Author(s):  
Srijana Gauchan
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Pain Assessment ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating Scale ◽  
Medical Officer ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
Numerical Rating ◽  
Assessment Standard

Background: Proper pain assessment is directly related to proper pain management.The American pain society (APS) in 1996 instituted “the pain as the 5th vital sign”, in an effort to reduce the burden of underassessment and inadequate pain management. The objective of this study is to find out the practice of pain assessment and to make improvement. Methods: This was an observational study of pain assessment by the medical officer in emergency department (ED).Convenience sampling was done at three different shift in ED. All the data of pain assessment was taken and tabulated and analysed to know the practice of pain assessment. Standard as set at 80%. In first stage data collection was done for one month as per convenience. Following the observed finding, in the second stage intervention was done. After this in third stage re-data collection was done to see the improvement. Results: A total of 503 patients were enrolled in this study. Out of this 53% (n=265) were in first stage and 47% (n=238) in third stage of the study. In first stage of the study there was 7% (n=19) documentation of numerical rating scale (NRS) and PQRST (P-precipitating and palliating factor, Q-quality of pain, R-radiation, S-site of pain, T-timing of pain) was not documented. After intervention in third stage documentation of NRS was done in 70% (n=167) and documentation of PQRST were variable. Conclusions: The study revealed that existing practice of pain assessment in the emergency department is poor but after the intervention there was remarkable improvement in the pain assessment.

scholarly journals Multicenter survey on emergency nurses’ perception of Numerical Rating Scale reliability at triage time in adult Emergency Department patients

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianfranco Cervellin ◽  
Ivan Comelli ◽  
Andrea Bellone ◽  
Fabrizio Giostra ◽  
Nicoletta Acierno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Measurement ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating Scale ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Emergency Nurses ◽  
Multicenter Survey ◽  
Numerical Rating ◽  
Triage Time

Since pain perception is highly subjective and culturally mediated, its objective evaluation remains difficult. Nevertheless, pain measurement should ideally be a part of the assessment of patients in order to plan adequate pain relief. Several scales have been proposed for pain measurement, being the numerical rating scale (NRS) the most widely used, often at triage time. NRS have demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity, in post-operative medicine and in oncologic pain, but data in the Emergency Departments (EDs) are poor. The aim of this study is to evaluate the Emergency Nurses’ (ENs) perception about the reliability of NRS in the triage process. A questionnaire based on 11 items was designed and subsequently administered to a large number of ENs in several EDs in Northern and Central Italy. 301 questionnaires were filled out and returned. The majority declares using NRS scale to measure pain (item 2, mode = 4, mean = 3.8), and attributing priority code based on NRS value (item 3, mode = 4, mean = 3.4). In general, triage nurses believe that NRS is only indicative and that their judgement matters (item 4, mode = 4, mean = 3.2). The vast majority of triage nurses do believe that the patients will indicate a fake higher NRS value with the aim to get a more urgent code (item 5, mode = 5, mean = 4), while only a small minority expects that patients would underestimate their NRS for fear of penalizing more urgent patients. Very few believe that such scale underestimates the patients’ condition, while the majority is ambivalent about whether such scale overestimates it. In conclusion, NRS confirms to be a potentially valuable tool for pain evaluation at triage time, but many nurses express some doubts on its reliability, and will attribute the triage code mainly basing on their own judgement.

scholarly journals The measurement of pain - A brief review

1982 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-37
Author(s):  
C. A. Liggins
Keyword(s):  
Pain Relief ◽  
Signal Detection ◽  
Pain Measurement ◽  
Signal Detection Theory ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating Scale ◽  
Detection Theory ◽  
Subjective Measurement ◽  
Subjective Scale ◽  
Numerical Rating

Physiotherapists are now measuring pain when they assess their patients. Pain has been considered to be unmeasurable by some, but a number of subjective and objective methods have been devised. Subjective methods appear to be more satisfactory than objective methods. Several methods of subjective measurement are reviewed. Studies suggest that the Numerical Rating Scale (N.R.S.) may be an appropriate subjective scale for general use. Several methods of measuring pain relief are also reviewed. Patients tend to express themselves more in terms of pain relief than in terms of pain measurement. The principles of the Signal Detection Theory for quantification of pain are outlined.

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