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Pediatric pain assessment: validation of a multidimensional tool
Pediatric Nursing
|May 1, 1993
Insights
The Pediatric Multidimensional Health Pain Assessment Tool (PMHPAT) shows validity for assessing pain in children aged 7-14. However, it has limitations in measuring spasmodic pain and distinguishing between "hurting" and "feeling."
Area of Science:
- Pediatric pain assessment
- Psychometrics
- Child health
Background:
- Accurate pediatric pain assessment is crucial for effective treatment.
- A locally developed tool, the Pediatric Multidimensional Health Pain Assessment Tool (PMHPAT), was created for ward use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish the content and construct validity of the PMHPAT before its clinical implementation.
- To determine the suitability of the PMHPAT for children within a specific age range.
Main Methods:
- Content validity testing of the PMHPAT.
- Construct validity testing of the PMHPAT.
- Evaluation of the tool's performance in a pediatric ward setting.
Main Results:
- The PMHPAT demonstrated validity as a measure of pain for children aged 7 to 14 years.
- Two key limitations were identified: unsuitability for spasmodic pain and potential child difficulty differentiating "hurting" from "feeling."
Conclusions:
- The PMHPAT is a valid pediatric pain assessment tool for non-spasmodic pain in children 7-14 years.
- Further refinement may be needed to address limitations in assessing spasmodic pain and subjective pain descriptors.
Abstract:
Prior to introducing a locally developed pediatric pain assessment tool into the ward setting, testing was done to establish its content and construct validity. Results indicated that the PMHPAT is a valid measure of pain for children between 7 and 14 years old with two limitations: (a) it is unsuitable for assessing spasmodic pain, and (b) some children are unable to distinguish between "hurting" and "feeling."