Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2026
14:56
An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain (PPOP)
Published on: January 28, 2010
The minimum clinically significant difference in patient-assigned numeric scores for pain.
Dawn B Kendrick1, Tania D Strout
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME 04102, USA.
The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
|November 18, 2005
Summary
The minimum clinically significant difference (MCSD) for pain measured on the 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS-11) is 1.39. This pain score change is clinically significant and does not vary by patient demographics.
Area of Science:
- Pain Management
- Clinical Measurement
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Pain assessment is crucial in healthcare.
- The 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS-11) is widely used for pain intensity measurement.
- Establishing a minimum clinically significant difference (MCSD) for the NRS-11 is essential for interpreting patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the MCSD for patient-assigned NRS-11 pain scores.
- To investigate if the MCSD differs based on demographic characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Emergency department patients with pain rated their pain using the NRS-11 every 20 minutes.
- Patients used verbal descriptors to compare pain intensity changes.
- MCSD was defined as the score difference for "a little more" or "a little less" pain.
Main Results:
- 354 patients were enrolled in the study.
- The MCSD was determined to be 1.39 +/- 1.05 (95% CI, 1.27-1.51).
- No statistically significant differences in MCSD were found based on sex or pain etiology.
Conclusions:
- A change of 1.39 on the NRS-11 represents a clinically significant difference in pain intensity.
- The MCSD for pain on the NRS-11 appears consistent across different demographic groups.
