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[Development of a Dutch instrument for the assessment of pain in children]
Insights
The Abu-Saad Pediatric Pain Assessment Tool uses word descriptors and a 10 cm scale to evaluate children's pain. This validated tool effectively measures sensory, affective, and evaluative pain dimensions in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Pain Measurement
- Psychometrics
Context:
- Assessing pain in hospitalized children is crucial for effective treatment.
- Existing pain assessment tools may not fully capture the multidimensional nature of pediatric pain.
- The Abu-Saad Pediatric Pain Assessment Tool was developed to address these needs.
Purpose:
- To develop and validate the Abu-Saad Pediatric Pain Assessment Tool for use with hospitalized children.
- To identify the underlying dimensions of pediatric pain as perceived by children.
- To establish the reliability and construct validity of the new assessment tool.
Summary:
- The Abu-Saad Pediatric Pain Assessment Tool comprises 30 word descriptors across sensory, affective, and evaluative domains, plus a 10 cm scale for present and worst pain.
- Phase 1 involved inventorying pain descriptors used by hospitalized Dutch children.
- Phase 2 involved 355 children rating descriptor intensity. Reliability (alpha=0.83) and factor analysis supported a two-factor solution, indicating a valid conceptual pattern for pain dimensions.
Impact:
- Provides a reliable and valid instrument for assessing pediatric pain.
- Enhances understanding of how children conceptualize and report their pain experiences.
- Facilitates improved pain management strategies in pediatric healthcare settings.
Abstract:
The Abu-Saad Pediatric Pain Assessment Tool consists of 30 word descriptors in the sensory, affective and evaluative domains as well as a 10 cm scale that measures present and worst pain experienced by the child. In the first phase of the study an inventory was carried out of pain word descriptors used by hospitalized Dutch children. In the second phase, these word descriptors were given an intensity value on the 10 cm scale by 355 children. An alpha reliability coefficient of 0.83 supported instrument homogeneity. Factor analysis (N - 355) was used to investigate construct validity. A three-factor solution was carried out to evaluate the validity of the three dimensions of pain. Factor 1 consisted of items in the affective and evaluative domains and factors 2 and 3 items from the sensory domain. Ultimately a two-factor solution provided the most intelligible conceptual pattern with the least loss of information. Conceptual composition and discussion of these factors are described and elaborated.