Clinical Neuroscience

[Comparison of pain intensity measurements among patients with low-back pain]

NAGY Zoltán1,2, KISS Nóra2, SZIGETI Mátyás3,4, ÁFRA Judit1, LEKKA Norbert1, MISIK Ferenc1, MUCSI István5, BANCZEROWSKI Péter1,2

MARCH 30, 2024

Clinical Neuroscience - 2024;77(3-4)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18071/isz.77.0131

Journal Article

Szöveg nagyítása:

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[Pain intensity is the most frequently assessed health domain in clinical studies among patients with low-back pain. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Numeric rating scale (NRS) have been the mostly used measurement tools for pain intensity. We proposed to correlate these instruments to a generic health-related quality of life measurement tool in order to show the scale with superior clinical relevance.

We used cross-sectional, convenience sampling. 120 patients with chronic low-back pain administered the 29-item Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Profile with NRS included, and the VAS scale in the National Institute of Mental Health, Neurology and Neurosurgery. We determined the correlation between PROMIS domain T-scores and VAS and NRS scores.

We performed Spearman rank correlation test to calculate the correlation coefficient. We found VAS scales measuring pain had weak to moderate correlations with all PROMIS health domains (r = 0.24–0.55). Therefore, we compared correlation of PROMIS domain scores with PROMIS pain intensity numeric rating scale and VAS scales. PROMIS domains had moderate to strong correlations with pain intensity scale (r = 0.45–0.71). PROMIS physical function short form [r = –0.65, 95% CI (–0.75) – (–0.55)] and PROMIS pain interference short form (r = 0.71, 95% CI 0.63 – 0.79) had the strongest correlation with pain intensity item.

NRS has showed greater correlation with PROMIS domain T-scores than VAS scale. This may prove that NRS has greater connection to another health domains, thus it correlated more to health-related quality of life than visual scale. We recommend NRS to use in further clinical studies conducted among patients with low-back pain.]

AFFILIATIONS

  1. Országos Mentális, Ideggyógyászati, és Idegsebészeti Intézet, Budapest, Magyarország
  2. Semmelweis Egyetem, Idegsebészeti Tanszék, Budapest, Magyarország
  3. Imperial Clinical Trials Unit, Imperial College London, London, Egyesült Királyság
  4. Élettani Szabályozások Kutatóközpont, Óbudai Egyetem, Budapest, Magyarország
  5. Ajmera Transplant Center, University Health Network and Division of Nephrology, University of Toronto, Torontó, Kanada

IRODALOMJEGYZÉK

  1. Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, et al. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. Lancet 2018;391:2356-67.
    Crossref
  2. Cieza A, Causey K, Kamenov K, Hanson SW, Chatterji S, Vos T. Global estimates of the need for rehabilitation based on the Global Burden of Disease study 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet 2021;396:2006-17.
    Crossref

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