Parsimonious Collection of Pain Descriptors: Classification and Calibration by Pain Patients
Parsimonious Collection of Pain Descriptors: Classification and Calibration by Pain Patients
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DOI：
10.1016/j.jpain.2010.10.011
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发表时间：
2011-04-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4
通讯作者：
Hall, Stephanie
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fernandez, Ephrem;Krusz, John Claude;Hall, Stephanie
单字描述符通常用于在外行和临床环境中标记和传达疼痛。研究表明，麦吉尔疼痛问卷（MPQ）中的84个疼痛描述符可以细化为36个描述符的简约子集，适合12个类别。然而，过去的三项研究都局限于大学生样本。本研究调查了43例慢性疼痛患者的疼痛描述符的分类结构和校准。采用3点决策规则，一个相对明确的分类结构出现了3个描述符的12个类别。在类别内部和类别之间，这些词所暗示的强度可以有意义地排列。强度呈正相关，显着与以前来自学生样本，以及匹配MPQ的话以前疼痛患者的评分。这证实了疼痛词强度等级的稳定性。信息理论分析表明，在这种配置的系统中，传输的最大值（3.6位）的83%可能是可传输的。这支持了这样一种观点，即36个疼痛描述符是简约的，可以有效地用于描述慢性疼痛。观点：本研究发现，在英语中，36个单词（分为12个子类）可以有效地用于描述疼痛。这些词也可以根据隐含的疼痛强度进行可靠的排序。这对疼痛患者的定性和定量评估有影响。(C)2011年美国疼痛协会American Pain Society
Single-word descriptors are commonly used to label and communicate pain in lay as well as clinical settings. Research has shown that the pool of 84 pain descriptors from the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) can be refined into a parsimonious subset of 36 descriptors that fit into 12 categories. However, the past 3 studies on this issue have been confined to college student samples. The present study investigated the classification structure and calibration of this new system of pain descriptors in 43 chronic pain patients. Employing a 3-point decision rule, a relatively unambiguous classification structure emerged with 3 descriptors for each of the 12 categories. Within and across categories, the intensities implied by these words could be meaningfully rank ordered. The intensities correlated positively and significantly with those previously derived from student samples as well as those of matching MPQ words previously rated by pain patients. This confirms the stability of the intensity ratings of pain words. Information theoretic analysis revealed transmission of 83% of the maximum (3.6 bits) potentially transmissible in a system of such configuration. This lends support to the idea that the 36 pain descriptors are parsimonious and can be used with efficiency to describe chronic pain.Perspective: This study found that in the English language, 36 words (classified into 12 subcategories) can be efficiently used to describe pain. These words can also be reliably ordered in terms of implied pain intensity. This has implications for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of pain patients. (C) 2011 by the American Pain Society