Can patients accurately read a visual analog pain scale?

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Medical Device Evaluation
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• The visual analog scale (VAS) is a common tool for assessing pain intensity.
• Accurate patient self-reporting is crucial for effective pain management and research.
• Previous studies have not extensively evaluated patient readability of the VAS, especially with carbonless copy paper formats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the accuracy with which adult patients can read a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) for pain.
• To assess the correlation between patient readings and physician readings of the VAS.
• To evaluate the reliability of the VAS for use in longitudinal pain studies and chronic pain management.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, descriptive study enrolled 145 adult patients experiencing acute pain.
• Patients marked their pain severity on a 100-mm VAS printed on carbonless copy paper.
• Patient readings were compared to two blinded physician raters' scores, and interrater reliability was analyzed.

Main Results:

• 54.5% of patients read the VAS exactly as physician readers.
• 95.2% of patients read their VAS within +/- 2 mm of physician readings.
• High patient readability suggests the VAS is a reliable instrument for self-assessment.

Conclusions:

• The visual analog scale (VAS) demonstrates high patient readability and accuracy in this study population.
• The findings support the use of the VAS for discharged patients in longitudinal pain studies.
• The instrument may also aid in the management of chronic pain, potentially with assistance.