Pilot Evaluation of a Functional Pain Assessment Scale

Common pain assessment tools measure intensity, ignoring other dimensions of pain like function. The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of a newly developed functional pain assessment scale (FPAS) for use in clinical practice.

In this descriptive correlational study, an FPAS was developed and then evaluated against 2 validated pain tools in 68 hospitalized adult patients experiencing acute and/or chronic pain. These tools included the numeric pain rating scale and a 100-mm visual analog scale.

The FPAS was significantly correlated (ρ = 0.72-0.87; P < .001) with the numeric pain rating scale and visual analog scale in cognitively intact patients but not the cognitively impaired (ρ = 0.22-0.34; P > .05). Test-retest reliability coefficients for the 3 scales were high (ρ = 0.82-0.94; P < .001), demonstrating stability of the measures. Overall, patients preferred the FPAS; this preference was significantly greater in patients older than 40 years.

This pilot study provided support for the reliability and validity of the FPAS in cognitively intact patients experiencing pain. Although more research is needed, clinicians may consider using the FPAS with cognitively intact adults to assess the functional impact of pain on pain intensity. Clinical nurse specialists play a pivotal role in role modeling and guiding the introduction and testing of new assessment approaches into clinical practice settings across the continuum of care.