Articles: pain-measurement.
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The assessment of pain as a part of adequate pain management is an integral part of the clinical routine. Much research has been carried out concerning use, relevance and validity of different assessment scales; however, patients' perspective of pain assessment has not yet been studied in Germany. The aim of the present study was to collate patients' experiences regarding pain assessment based on the numeric rating scale (NRS). ⋯ The survey results indicate that the validity of the measurement and therefore the indicated therapy is influenced by subjective concepts. Patients themselves suggested alternatives for detecting the quality of pain. The data should be replicated in larger samples and also take possible influences on the perception of the assessment into account.
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The American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire and the subsequent revised version are the most frequently reported measures of the quality of pain management. However, the reliability and validity of the revised questionnaire have not been reported in Chinese patients. This study sought to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the revised questionnaire in postoperative patients in China. ⋯ Patients with different anticipated pain management outcomes were differentiated as expected. Satisfaction could be predicted (31.3% of the variance) using subscales and items in the questionnaire. Although our evidence supports the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the revised questionnaire when tested with postoperative patients, further study is needed, especially on the subscale perception of pain care.
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Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a painful, debilitating affliction that is often difficult to treat. It has become common international practice to use spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for the treatment of CRPS as other therapies fail to provide adequate relief, quality of life, or improvement in function. This comprehensive outcome-specific systematic review of the use of SCS for CRPS was performed to elucidate the available evidence with focus on clinically relevant patient-specific outcomes. ⋯ Spinal cord stimulation remains a favorable and effective modality for treating CRPS with high-level evidence (1B+) supporting its role in improving CRPS patients' perceived pain relief, pain score, and quality of life. A paucity of evidence for functional improvements, resolution of CRPS signs, sleep hygiene, psychological impact, and analgesic sparing effects mandate further investigation before conclusions can be drawn for these specific outcomes.
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The Numerical Rating Scale-11 (NRS-11) is one of the most widely used scales to assess self-reported pain intensity in children, despite the limited information on its psychometric properties for assessing pain in pediatric populations. Recently, there has been an increase in published findings regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the NRS-11 as a measure of pain in youths. The purpose of this study was to review this research and summarize what is known regarding the reliability and validity of the NRS-11 as a self-report measure of pediatric pain intensity. ⋯ Additional research is needed to clarify some unresolved questions and issues, including (1) the minimum age that children should have to offer valid scores of pain intensity and (2) the development of consensus regarding administration instructions, in particular with respect to the descriptors used for the upper anchor. On the basis of available information, the NRS-11 can be considered to be a well-established measure for use with pediatric populations.
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Patients with chronic pain conditions such as neuropathic pain frequently experience delays in diagnosis and treatment. Ideally, all patients should be treated in a timely manner, but in those patients with more established disease it is important to know that approved treatments remain effective. ⋯ Pregabalin significantly improves pain irrespective of the length of time since onset of neuropathic pain.