@article{ref1,
title="The visual analogue thermometer and the graphic numeric rating scale: A comparison of self-report instruments for pain measurement in adults with burns",
journal="Burns: journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries",
year="2014",
author="de Jong, A. E. E. and Bremer, M. and Hofland, H. W. C. and Schuurmans, M. J. and Middelkoop, E. and van Loey, N. E. E.",
volume="41",
number="2",
pages="333-340",
abstract="To evaluate the adequacy of pain management in burn care, pain measurement is essential. The visual analogue thermometer (VAT) and graphic numeric rating scale (GNRS) are frequently used self-report instruments for burn pain. To legitimise their interchangeable use in research and practice, we aimed to compare self-reports obtained by the VAT and GNRS, the ability of the scales to differentiate background from procedural pain, and to compare potential cutpoints. Adults with acute burns (N=319) participated in the study (67% male, mean age 40.3 years (SD 16), mean TBSA 9.9% (SD 10.4). Correlation coefficients between VAT and GNRS were 0.64 and 0.55 for, respectively, morning and afternoon background pain and 0.51 for procedural pain (p<0.01). VAT scores were lower than GNRS scores for all pain types (p<0.01). Both scales could differentiate background from procedural pain: procedural pain was higher (p<0.01). The standardized response mean was moderate (0.518 for VAT and 0.571 for GNRS). Self-reported thresholds for 'unacceptable pain' by GNRS were higher than by VAT (p<0.001). ROC analyses showed that the highest sensitivity was reached for pain score 2 for both scales. The results suggest that the instruments cannot be used interchangeably without taking their differences into account.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0305-4179",
doi="10.1016/j.burns.2014.07.002",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2014.07.002"
}