Between-day reliability and concurrent validity of outcome measures for pain in persons with multiple sclerosis (R-11659)

Pain is an important symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS) which leads to a low quality of life, increased disability level, lack of employment and mental health. Persons with MS report their pain as one of the most annoying symptoms of their disease. In addition, being different from the other neurological diseases, MS comprises a wide variety of pains and pain has greater interference in MS. Recently, studies have shown increased interest in pain in MS and there is a growing evidence of its prevalence. The prevalence of pain in MS varies from 29% to 86%. This wide-range prevalence has several reasons, such as methodological discrepancy among the studies, for example, using different outcome measures. Very few of the pain outcome measures are validated for MS population. So far, the following instruments were used in studies in MS: The Neuropathic Pain Scale, The Brief Pain Inventory, The Graded Chronic Pain Disability Score, The Medical Outcomes Study Pain Effects Scale. However, they have not been tested in MS test-retest reliability, so it is unclear what is the measurement error when they are applied at different testing moments. In addition, concurrent validity of different instruments is unknown, and comparison with golden standards in other pain research has not yet been made. Thus, it cannot be advised yet whether they contain similar or complementary information. Therefore, the aim of the current project proposal is to investigate the between-day test-retest reliability (variability) and concurrent validity of a set of outcome measures for pain in persons with MS

Keywords:Multiple sclerosis, Pain, Reliability, Validity

Disciplines:Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation sciences not elsewhere classified