Validating the Functional Pain Scale for Hospitalized Adults.

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Psychometrics
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Assessing pain intensity alone overlooks crucial functional and coping aspects for patients.
• The Functional Pain Scale (FPS) was developed to address these broader dimensions of pain.
• Prior validation of the FPS was lacking in hospitalized adult populations experiencing chronic pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish the psychometric properties, specifically reliability and validity, of the Functional Pain Scale (FPS).
• To evaluate the FPS in a population of hospitalized adults with chronic pain.

Main Methods:

• A prospective pilot study was conducted across two acute care hospitals.
• 144 adult inpatients with chronic pain were recruited.
• Data collection involved the FPS, Numeric Rating Scale, Pain, Enjoyment of Life, and General Activities Scale, and Quality of Pain Care Scale, with subsequent reliability and validity analyses.

Main Results:

• The FPS demonstrated good test-retest reliability (r = .84; p < .001).
• Strong, statistically significant correlations were found between the FPS and the Numeric Rating Scale, supporting construct validity (r = 0.75 and r = 0.45).
• Weak correlations with other measures of mood and functioning did not support discriminant validity.

Conclusions:

• The Functional Pain Scale (FPS) exhibits acceptable reliability and construct validity in hospitalized adults with chronic pain.
• However, the psychometric properties were not as robust as in other settings, suggesting potential limitations for this specific population.
• Further research may be needed to refine the FPS or its application in acute care settings for chronic pain patients.