Validity of Activity-Based Checks (ABCs) of Pain, A Functional Pain Scale

Area of Science:

• Pain assessment and management
• Rehabilitation sciences
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Activity-Based Checks of Pain (ABCs) is a novel tool designed to assess functional limitations due to pain.
• It focuses on activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living.
• Validation is crucial for its application in clinical settings for individuals with chronic pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the factorial structure of the ABCs instrument.
• To assess the utility of the ABCs in participants experiencing chronic pain.
• To confirm the reliability and validity of the ABCs for pain assessment.

Main Methods:

• Two-phase study involving 297 participants for icon optimization and 304 participants with chronic pain for validation.
• Utilized the ABCs, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) for data collection.
• Employed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Identified four key factor loadings: multiplanar activities, sitting/hip flexor pain, walking/ambulation, and pain interference with unilateral activities.
• Demonstrated high internal consistency for all factor loadings (ranging from 0.512 to 0.879).
• Showcased moderate to strong correlations between ABCs, PROMIS, and BPI, with a test-retest reliability (ICC) of 0.74.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms the Activity-Based Checks of Pain (ABCs) as a valid and reliable tool.
• The ABCs effectively assesses the impact of chronic pain on functional capabilities.
• This instrument supports better management of pain-related functional deficits in chronic pain populations.