| Name of the Instrument/Tool | Pain VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) |
| First Description |
Scott PJ, Huskisson EC. Measurement of functional capacity with visual analogue scales. Rheumatol Rehabil 1977;16:257–9. |
| Year | 1977 |
| Domains | |
| Concept of constructs | Pain |
| Population/Disease | Generic |
| Originally developed for | --- |
| Other rheumatic diseases where can be applied (only if validated) |
--- |
| Additional population with no rheumatic diseases |
No |
| Language: Originally published in | English |
| Available in Language | --- |
| REFERENCE IDENTIFICATION | |
| Author/s | --- |
| Title | --- |
| Journal | --- |
| Year | --- |
| Vol | --- |
| Num | --- |
| Pages | --- |
| Country | --- |
| Language | --- |
| Other references of interest | |
| Link | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004901722 … |
| Brief Description |
Barnabe C, Wattiaux A, Petkovic J, Beaton D, Shea B, Greer-Smith R, Humphreys J, Bartels C, Tugwell P, Umaefulam V. Validation studies of rheumatoid arthritis patient-reported outcome measures in populations at risk for inequity: A systematic review and analysis using the OMERACT summary of measurement properties equity table. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2022 Aug;55:152029. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2022.152029. Epub 2022 May 19. PMID: 35640489. |
| Instrument/Tool Translations References | |
| No other References. | |
| DEVELOPER CONTACT INFORMATION | |
| Correspondence to | --- |
| --- | |
| Address | --- |
| Website | --- |
| Available | --- |
| Links | --- |
| DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUMENT | |
| Type Of Measure | VAS |
| Brief Description |
The VAS pain scale is a tool used to measure the intensity of pain experienced by patients. It is a one-dimensional measure that is commonly used to monitor the progression of pain or to compare the severity of pain between patients with similar conditions. This tool has been widely used in various adult populations, including those with rheumatic diseases, chronic pain, cancer, and allergic rhinitis. Additionally, the VAS scale has been utilized to evaluate mood, appetite, asthma, dyspepsia, and ambulation. It is a simple and effective way to assess disease control. |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Range | 0-10 |
| Responses options/scale |
No |
| Developed for | --- |
| PRACTICAL APPLICATION | |
| Method of administration | Self-administered |
| Recommendations to score |
To determine a patient's pain score, a ruler is used to measure the distance (in millimeters) between the patient's mark and the "no pain" anchor on a 10-centimeter line, which provides a range of scores from 0 to 100. A higher score indicates greater pain intensity. Based on the distribution of pain VAS scores in post-surgical patients (specifically, those who underwent knee replacement, hysterectomy, or laparoscopic myomectomy) who rated their postoperative pain intensity as none, mild, moderate, or severe, the following cut points have been suggested: no pain (0-4 mm), mild pain (5-44 mm), moderate pain (45-74 mm), and severe pain (75-100 mm). Unfortunately, normative values are not available. It is important to show the scale to the patient since it is a visual rather than an auditory scale. A recent study suggests that the preferred paper-based VAS item is an 8-cm long horizontal scale. |
| Score Interpretation | --- |
| Cut-off points | --- |
| Cut-off points applied to | --- |
| Smallest detectable change if described | --- |
| Smallest detectable change applied to | --- |
| Completion time by the patient | - minutes |
| Scoring time by the assessor | 0 minutes |
| Training to score | Not necessary |
| Strengths | Easy to use |
| Limitations | --- |
| OTHER COMMENTS | |
| Other Comments | --- |