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A Psychometric Analysis Update of Behavioral Pain Assessment Tools for Noncommunicative, Critically Ill Adults
Céline Gélinas1, Aaron M Joffe2, Paul M Szumita3
1Céline Gélinas is Associate Professor, Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, 680 Sherbrooke West, Room 1838, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3A 2M7; and Researcher, Centre for Nursing Research and Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, Québec, Canada (celine.gelinas@mcgill.ca).
Abstract:
This is an updated, comprehensive review of the psychometric properties of behavioral pain assessment tools for use with noncommunicative, critically ill adults. Articles were searched in 5 health databases. A total of 106 articles were analyzed, including 54 recently published papers. Nine behavioral pain assessment tools developed for noncommunicative critically ill adults and 4 tools developed for other non-communicative populations were included. The scale development process, reliability, validity, feasibility, and clinical utility were analyzed using a 0 to 20 scoring system, and quality of evidence was also evaluated. The Behavioral Pain Scale, the Behavioral Pain Scale-Nonintubated, and the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool remain the tools with the strongest psychometric properties, with validation testing having been conducted in multiple countries and various languages. Other tools may be good alternatives, but additional research on them is necessary.
