學院

醫學院

系所

職能治療學系

題名

Relative and absolute reliabilities of the vertical numerical pain rating scale with the face pain scale after stroke

作者

Chuang, L-L.^†, Wu, C-Y.^†, Lin, K-C.*, & Hsieh, C-J.

期刊名稱

Physical Therapy. (SCI 期刊)

發表日期

2014

著作性質

原著

語文

英文

關鍵字

Pain assessment; Stroke; Numerical pain rating scale; Face pain scale; Reliability.

摘要

Background: Pain is a serious adverse poststroke complication. The combination of a vertical numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) and the face pain scale (FPS) has been advocated to measure poststroke pain. This study investigated whether the NPRS supplemented with the FPS (NPRS-FPS) would show good test-retest reliability in people with stroke.

Objective: This study examined the relative and absolute reliabilities of the vertical NPRS-FPS in people with stroke.

Design: This study was a test-retest design.

Methods: Fifty patients >3 months’ poststroke participating in an outpatient occupational therapy program were recruited through medical centers to rate current pain intensity twice, at a 1-week interval, on the 0-10 vertical NPRS-FPS. The relative reliability of the vertical NPRS-FPS was analyzed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for determining the degree of consistency and agreement between two measures. The standard error of measurement (SEM), smallest real difference (SRD), and Bland-Altman limits of agreement (LOA) were the absolute reliability indices used to quantify measurement errors and determine systematic biases of the repeated measures.

Results: The relative reliability of the NPRS-FPS was substantial (ICC = 0.82). The SEM and SRD at 90% confidence of the NPRS-FPS were 0.81 and 1.87, respectively. The Bland-Altman analyses showed no significant systematic bias between the repeated measurements for the vertical NPRS-FPS. The NPRS-FPS had narrow LOA ranges (LOA, –2.50 to 1.90), indicating high stability and little variation over time.

Limitations: The pain intensity of patients was from no pain to a moderate level of pain.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that the vertical NPRS-FPS is a reliable measure of pain in people with stroke, with good relative and absolute reliabilities.