Article

OBJECTIVE: Quantifying pain intensity is challenging, particularly for patients
with chronic pain. The visual analog scale (VAS) is limited by ceiling effects
that often leave patients with no ability to quantify worsening pain. The goal of
this study was to determine whether the general Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS)
can be feasibly used to measure pain clinically while overcoming limitations of
the VAS. DESIGN: Eighty patients (mean age, 53.7 yrs) scheduled for evaluation of
a painful complaint were asked to rate their current pain using the gLMS and the
VAS. The time necessary to administer the gLMS was recorded to determine
feasibility. The difference in rating between the two scales (VAS and gLMS) was
the main outcome measure. RESULTS: After scaling and rounding off the gLMS scores
for direct comparison, it was found that the gLMS scores were significantly lower
than the corresponding VAS scores by a mean of 1.78 (P < 0.001). The mean time to
administer the gLMS was 2.66 mins. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the
gLMS has great potential and can be feasibly used to measure pain intensity
clinically. The gLMS scores were consistently lower than the VAS scores, thus
reducing the ceiling effect and allowing range at the high end of the scale for
rating worsening pain.

Langue : ANGLAIS