Related Experiment Videos
Determining the minimum clinically significant difference in visual analog pain score for children.
C V Powell1, A M Kelly, A Williams
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Sunshine Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
Annals of Emergency Medicine
|January 6, 2001
Summary
The minimum clinically significant difference in visual analog scale (VAS) pain score for children aged 8-15 is 10 mm. This finding helps determine if pain score changes are meaningful in clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Pain Assessment
- Clinical Significance
Background:
- Assessing pain in children is crucial for effective treatment.
- The visual analog scale (VAS) is a common tool for pain measurement.
- Defining a minimum clinically significant difference (MCSD) is essential for interpreting VAS scores.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the MCSD in VAS pain scores for children aged 8 to 15 years.
- To establish a benchmark for clinically meaningful pain reduction in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, repeated-measures study in a pediatric emergency department.
- Children (8-15 years) with acute pain used a 100-mm VAS and provided verbal pain ratings.
- MCSD defined as the mean VAS change when patients reported pain as 'a bit better' or 'a bit worse'.
Main Results:
- 103 evaluable comparisons from 73 children were analyzed.
- The MCSD in VAS pain score was found to be 10 mm.
- The 95% confidence interval for the MCSD was 7 to 12 mm.
Conclusions:
- A 10-mm change on the 100-mm VAS represents the minimum clinically significant difference for children aged 8-15.
- Statistically significant VAS changes smaller than 10 mm may not be clinically relevant in pediatric populations.