Psychometric comparison of three behavioural scales for the assessment of pain in critically ill patients unable to self-report

Psychometric comparison of three behavioural scales for the assessment of pain in patients unable to self-report. Critical Care 2014, 18:R160.

Chanques, G., et al.

http://ccforum.com/content/pdf/cc14000.pdf

Pain assessment is associated with important outcomes in ICU patients but remains 
challenging, particularly in non-communicative patients. Use of a reliable tool is paramount 
to allow any implementation of sedation/analgesia protocols in a multidisciplinary team. This 
study compared psychometric properties (inter-rater agreement primarily; validity, responsiveness and feasibility secondarily) of three pain scales: Behavioural Pain Scale (BPS/BPS-NI, that is BPS for Non-Intubated patients), Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) and Non-Verbal Pain Scale (NVPS), the pain tool routinely used in this 16-bed medical ICU.