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The validity of the Computer Face Scale for measuring pediatric pain and mood
Joseph P Cravero1, Gilbert J Fanciullo, Gregory J McHugo
1Department of Anesthesiology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA. Joseph.P.Cravero@hitchcock.org
Insights
The Computer Face Scale accurately measures pain and mood in children post-tonsillectomy, showing expected changes and correlating well with other scales.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pain Management
- Psychological Assessment in Children
Background:
- Assessing pain and mood in pediatric patients is crucial for effective treatment.
- Existing scales may have limitations in resolution or data capture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity of the Computer Face Scale for measuring pain and mood in children.
- To compare the Computer Face Scale with established measures like the Wong-Baker Faces Scale.
Main Methods:
- Forty children (aged 5-13) used the Computer Face Scale to rate pain and mood before and after tonsillectomy.
- Pain and mood were also assessed using the Wong-Baker Faces Scale and verbal reports.
Main Results:
- Children's pain and mood ratings showed statistically significant changes from pre- to post-surgery.
- High correlations were observed between the Computer Face Scale and other measures of pain (0.83) and mood (0.78-0.88).
Conclusions:
- The Computer Face Scale is a valid tool for assessing pediatric pain and mood.
- Its ease of use, resolution, and electronic capture offer potential benefits for clinical and research settings.
Objective:
The aim was to assess the validity of the Computer Face Scale.
Methods:
Forty children (5-13 years old) rated pain and mood prior to and twice following tonsillectomy. The children used the Computer Face Scale to adjust a cartoon face to rate pain and mood. During sessions one and two, the children also chose an expression on the Wong-Baker Faces Scale to rate their pain, and they reported their mood verbally on a seven-point scale.
Results:
On average, the children reported no pain and a positive mood prior to surgery. Soon after surgery, they reported mild pain and a slightly negative mood. An hour later, they reported decreases in pain and return to a positive mood. The differences between presurgery and postsurgery ratings were statistically significant (P ≤ 0.001) for all measures. The correlation between the two mood measures was 0.88 before surgery and 0.78 afterward. The correlation between the two measures of pain was 0.83 after surgery (P's < 0.001).
Conclusions:
The results support the validity of the Computer Face Scale. The mean ratings of pain and mood followed the expected pattern from pre- to postsurgery, and there was a significant association between ratings obtained by different methods. The Computer Face Scale provides a simple-to-use scale with more resolution and electronic capture, which may provide advantages in numerous clinical and research applications.
