Reliability and Validity of the International Spinal Cord Injury Basic Pain Dataset Items as Self-Report Measures

Spinal Cord, 2010 · DOI: 10.1038/sc.2009.112 · Published: March 1, 2010

Spinal Cord Injury Mental Health Pain Management

Simple Explanation

This study evaluates how well a set of questions, called the International Spinal Cord Injury Basic Pain Data Set (ISCIBPDS), works when people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) answer them on their own to assess their pain. The researchers checked if the answers were consistent, accurate, and related to other measures of well-being like mental health and sleep quality. The goal was to see if these questions could be a useful and reliable way to track pain in SCI patients for research and clinical care.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

184 individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and pain

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
The ISCIBPDS items measuring pain interference, intensity, site(s), frequency, duration, and timing are useful and valid for individuals with SCI and chronic pain.
2
A shorter, 3-item version focusing on activity, mood, and sleep interference (AMS Interference scale) showed strong associations with validity criteria.
3
Assessing the intensity of the worst and second-worst pain problems provided significant and independent contributions to predicting validity criteria.

Research Summary

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the International Spinal Cord Injury Basic Pain Data Set (ISCIBPDS) items when used as self-report measures by individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and pain. The results supported the utility and validity of ISCIBPDS items measuring pain interference, intensity, site(s), frequency, duration, and timing. The findings suggest that the self-report version of the ISCIBPDS is a useful tool for assessing pain in individuals with SCI in clinical practice and research settings.

Practical Implications

Clinical Practice

Clinicians can use the self-report ISCIBPDS to efficiently monitor treatment outcomes (interference and intensity) and diagnose pain conditions (location, frequency, duration).

Research Settings

Researchers can use the brief ISCIBPDS in survey and longitudinal studies to minimize assessment burden and enhance comparability across studies.

Scale Optimization

The 3-item AMS Interference scale may be a useful, shorter alternative for assessing pain interference.

Study Limitations

1
The study is based on a single, self-selected sample.
2
Some ISCIBPDS items were modified (simplified), and the sequence of items was altered.
3
The validity criteria used were limited to measures of psychological functioning and sleep problems.

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