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Related Experiment Videos

Learning from pain scales: patient perspective.

Patricia Clark1, Pilar Lavielle, Homero Martínez

  • 1Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Hospital General de México, OD, Mexico City, Mexico. pclark@att.net.mx

The Journal of Rheumatology
|July 15, 2003
PubMed
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Patients with rheumatic conditions often prefer the verbal rating scale (VRS) over the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain assessment, especially those with less education. Both scales reliably measure pain intensity.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Pain Management
  • Clinical Assessment

Background:

  • Rheumatologists frequently assess patient pain using clinical scales.
  • The verbal rating scale (VRS) and visual analog scale (VAS) are commonly used but patient preferences remain understudied.
  • No study in 25 years has compared patient preferences for VRS and VAS.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate patient preferences between the 10 cm horizontal visual analog scale (VAS) and the 5-point verbal rating scale (VRS).
  • To identify reasons behind patient preferences for pain assessment scales.
  • To validate the test-retest reliability and construct validity of both the VAS and VRS.

Main Methods:

  • Patients with painful rheumatological conditions rated their pain using both VAS and VRS.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Patients stated their preferred scale and the reasons for their choice.
  • Tender points and dolorimetry were assessed in all participants.

    • Main Results:

    • A majority of patients (52.8%) preferred the VRS, citing ease of understanding and comfort with words over numbers.
    • Patients preferring the VAS (28.3%) found numbers more objective and precise for classifying pain.
    • Educational level correlated with preference: VRS favored by those with 0-6 years of schooling, VAS by those with >6 years.
    • Both scales demonstrated significant associations with pain intensity and tender points.
    • High correlations were found between VAS and VRS (r=0.79) and in test-retest reliability (VAS=0.97, VRS=0.89).

    Conclusions:

    • Both the VAS and VRS are valid and reliable tools for measuring pain intensity in rheumatology patients.
    • The optimal choice of scale depends on the clinical setting, physician's objective, and patient's educational background.
    • Prioritizing patient preference enhances physician-patient communication and potentially improves pain management outcomes.