Article

Pain is a serious adverse complication after stroke.
The combination
of a vertical numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) and a faces pain scale (FPS) has
been advocated to measure pain after stroke. This study was conducted
to investigate whether an NPRS supplemented with an FPS (NPRS-FPS) would show
good test-retest reliability in people with stroke. The relative and absolute
reliability of the NPRS-FPS were examined. DESIGN: A test-retest design was used
for this study. METHODS: Fifty people (>3 months after stroke) participating in
an outpatient occupational therapy program were recruited through medical centers
to rate current pain intensity twice, at a 1-week interval, with the NPRS-FPS (on
a scale from 0 to 10). The relative reliability of the NPRS-FPS was analyzed with
the intraclass correlation coefficient for determining the degree of consistency
and agreement between 2 measures. The standard error of measurement, the smallest
real difference, and Bland-Altman limits of agreement were the absolute
reliability indexes used to quantify measurement errors and determine systematic
biases of repeated measurements. RESULTS: The relative reliability of the
NPRS-FPS was substantial (intraclass correlation coefficient=.82). The standard
error of measurement and the smallest real difference at the 90% confidence
interval of the NPRS-FPS were 0.81 and 1.87, respectively. The Bland-Altman
analyses revealed no significant systematic bias between repeated measurements
for the NPRS-FPS. The range of the limits of agreement for the NPRS-FPS was
narrow (-2.50 to 1.90), indicating a high level of stability and little variation
over time. LIMITATIONS: The pain intensity of the participants ranged from no
pain to a moderate level of pain. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the
NPRS-FPS is a reliable measure of pain in people with stroke, with good relative
and absolute reliability.

Langue : ANGLAIS