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Multi-Modal Signals for Analyzing Pain Responses to Thermal and Electrical Stimuli
Published on: April 5, 2019
Assessment of pain
H Breivik1, P C Borchgrevink, S M Allen
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. harald.breivik@medisin.uio.no
British Journal of Anaesthesia
|May 20, 2008
Summary
Accurate pain assessment is crucial for clinical trials and pain management. Different tools are needed for acute versus chronic pain, considering patient function and quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Pain research
- Clinical assessment
- Patient-reported outcomes
Background:
- Effective pain assessment is vital for clinical trials and patient management.
- Pain's subjective nature necessitates reliable measurement tools.
- Differentiating acute and chronic pain assessment is essential for appropriate management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current methods for pain assessment in clinical trials.
- To highlight the differences in assessing acute versus chronic pain.
- To emphasize the importance of multidimensional tools for chronic pain.
Main Methods:
- Review of one-dimensional scales (numeric rating, visual analogue) for acute pain.
- Discussion of multidimensional tools and quality of life instruments for chronic pain.
- Consideration of disease-specific scales (e.g., WOMAC) and screening tools for neuropathic pain.
Main Results:
- One-dimensional scales are effective for acute pain assessment, especially for detecting changes.
- Multidimensional tools are necessary for evaluating chronic pain's impact on function and quality of life.
- Cancer pain assessment requires consideration of co-occurring symptoms like fatigue and depression.
Conclusions:
- Pain assessment strategies must be tailored to pain type (acute vs. chronic) and patient population.
- Validated, multidimensional tools are crucial for comprehensive chronic pain evaluation.
- Quality of life and co-morbidities significantly influence pain assessment outcomes.
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