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Measurement of pain in children with self-reporting and behavioral assessment
Insights
This study found that various pain-rating scales, including self-reporting and behavioral assessments, correlate well in children. This suggests flexibility in choosing pain assessment tools for pediatric clinical analgesic studies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pain Management
- Clinical Pain Assessment
- Analgesic Studies
Background:
- Limited research exists on the correlation of pain-rating scales in pediatric populations compared to adults.
- Accurate pain assessment in children is crucial for effective analgesic management.
- Various pain scales, including verbal and visual analog scales, are used in pediatric research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between different self-reporting pain scales (verbal and visual analog) and a behavioral pain assessment scale in children.
- To determine if age or sex influences the correlation between these pain-rating scales.
- To provide evidence supporting the interchangeable use of validated pain scales in pediatric clinical trials.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of pain evaluations from 141 pediatric patients (1.6–17.6 years) involved in analgesic studies.
- Utilized one verbal pain scale, two visual analog scales, and a behavioral pain assessment scale.
- Correlated the scores from all employed pain-rating scales across different age groups and sexes.
Main Results:
- All pain-rating scales demonstrated significant correlation with each other (P < 0.001) and showed good internal consistency.
- No significant differences in correlation coefficients were observed between different age groups or sexes.
- The chosen pain scales are reliable for assessing pain in pediatric patients.
Conclusions:
- Various pain-rating scales are highly correlated in pediatric populations, regardless of age or sex.
- Any of the evaluated scales can be utilized in pediatric clinical analgesic studies.
- Ensuring a child's comprehension of the chosen scale during preoperative visits is essential for accurate pain assessment.
Abstract:
There are several studies on the correlation of various pain-rating scales in adults but few such studies have been done on children. To gain information on the correlation of self-reporting pain scales (one verbal and two visual analog scales) with each other and with a scale based on behavioral assessment, we analyzed retrospectively the pain evaluations of 141 pediatric patients participating in our analgesic studies. Eighty-two patients were male and 59 were female. The ages ranged from 1.6 to 17.6 years. The patients were divided into three age groups. All pain-rating scales were correlated (P less than 0.001) with each other and they showed a good internal consistency. There were no differences in correlation coefficients between the age groups and the two sexes. Accordingly, any of the now-employed scales can be used in clinical analgesic studies in children on the condition that the child has comprehended the use of the scale during the preoperative visit.