Computerized dynamic assessment of pain: comparison of chronic pain patients and healthy controls

Computerized software holds the potential for the novel assessment of the pain experience of patients with chronic pain not available through traditional paper-and-pencil methods. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility and discriminant validity of a dynamic computer-administered program for the assessment of pain.

Three computer-administered programs were created to assess the intensity (dynamic visual analog scale DVAS]), character (dynamic verbal ratings), and location (dynamic pain drawings) of pain. The programs were administered to 115 chronic pain patients recruited from a hospital-based pain management program and 115 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals without pain. The healthy controls were instructed to respond as if they had chronic pain.

Analyses showed pain patient DVAS pain intensity ratings to be significantly higher than ratings by the healthy group. Patients selected more words in describing their pain, rated those words higher, and marked significantly more pain locations than the comparison group. However, no differences were found in the DVAS ratings of emotional impact between patients and healthy individuals.

Chronic pain patients were shown to differ from healthy individuals in their assessments of degree of pain intensity and pain location with the use of a novel computerized pain assessment program. Although further investigations are needed, these initial findings support the use of computer methods for the effective assessment of pain.