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Development of a pictorial Scale of Pain Intensity (SPIN) for patients with communication impairments: initial validation in a general population

Development of a pictorial Scale of Pain Intensity (SPIN) for patients with communication impairments: initial validation in a general population
Development of a pictorial Scale of Pain Intensity (SPIN) for patients with communication impairments: initial validation in a general population
This study evaluated a new six-point ordinal scale for measuring pain intensity. Seventy two participants aged between 23 and 87 years rated the intensity of ‘present pain’ as well as remembered episodes of ‘severe’ and ‘mild’ pain on the scale of pain intensity (SPIN), a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) and a 0–10 numeric scale, in random order. Retesting followed an intervening assessment. Participants’ comments on the scales were analysed thematically. Spearman’s correlation between scales all exceeded 0.78 (p<0.001). Test–retest of the SPIN gave percentage agreements (weighted kappa) of present pain 69% (0.83), severe pain 94% (0.94) and mild pain 83% (0.85). Most participants preferred using an ordinal scale to the continuous VAS. Some found numbers easier to use whereas others found the SPIN more helpful. We conclude that the SPIN provides a valid measure of pain intensity in patients fully able to communicate their views and experiences. Investigation in patients with cognitive or communication impairments is now required.
1470-2118
580-585
Jackson, Diane
85707eb4-c29e-4638-9685-f5d74523eed2
Horn, Sandra
8637e72e-5576-42ea-bbe5-f67f01e336d1
Kersten, Paula
039a54d8-5629-47fd-ba55-5b60e7d3e7dc
Turner-Stokes, Lynne
4c04802a-f316-4cd5-a4ab-82874f0bb83d
Jackson, Diane
85707eb4-c29e-4638-9685-f5d74523eed2
Horn, Sandra
8637e72e-5576-42ea-bbe5-f67f01e336d1
Kersten, Paula
039a54d8-5629-47fd-ba55-5b60e7d3e7dc
Turner-Stokes, Lynne
4c04802a-f316-4cd5-a4ab-82874f0bb83d

Jackson, Diane, Horn, Sandra, Kersten, Paula and Turner-Stokes, Lynne (2006) Development of a pictorial Scale of Pain Intensity (SPIN) for patients with communication impairments: initial validation in a general population. Clinical Medicine, 6 (6), 580-585.

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study evaluated a new six-point ordinal scale for measuring pain intensity. Seventy two participants aged between 23 and 87 years rated the intensity of ‘present pain’ as well as remembered episodes of ‘severe’ and ‘mild’ pain on the scale of pain intensity (SPIN), a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) and a 0–10 numeric scale, in random order. Retesting followed an intervening assessment. Participants’ comments on the scales were analysed thematically. Spearman’s correlation between scales all exceeded 0.78 (p<0.001). Test–retest of the SPIN gave percentage agreements (weighted kappa) of present pain 69% (0.83), severe pain 94% (0.94) and mild pain 83% (0.85). Most participants preferred using an ordinal scale to the continuous VAS. Some found numbers easier to use whereas others found the SPIN more helpful. We conclude that the SPIN provides a valid measure of pain intensity in patients fully able to communicate their views and experiences. Investigation in patients with cognitive or communication impairments is now required.

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Published date: December 2006

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 55316
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/55316
ISSN: 1470-2118
PURE UUID: 09153c9f-d634-42c3-9445-9f5a356ac21e

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Date deposited: 30 Jul 2008
Last modified: 07 Jan 2022 22:32

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Contributors

Author: Diane Jackson
Author: Sandra Horn
Author: Paula Kersten
Author: Lynne Turner-Stokes

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