Validation of The Critical-care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) for the detection of oral-pharyngeal pain in critically ill adults

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Indonesian version of the Critical-care Pain Observation Tool

Objective

The Critical-care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) is one of the most accurate methods for assessing pain in ICU patients with critical illness and/or a decreased level of consciousness (LOC). This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the CPOT.

Methods

The English version of CPOT was translated into the Indonesian version following five steps: initial translation, synthesis of instrument translation results, back translation, validation of the instrument by an expert committee, and testing of the Indonesian instrument. Between September and December 2022, a total of 52 ICU patients from four hospitals in Indonesia were evaluated for pain at rest, during body-turning procedure, and 15 minutes after the procedure using the CPOT. The researcher used the verbal Faces Pain Thermometer (FPT) instrument as a gold standard to assess the CPOT's criteria validity. Validity assessments included content and criterion validity. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's α coefficient and interrater reliability.

Results

Higher CPOT scores were found during the body-turning procedure than at rest and after the procedure. The instrument's item-content validity index (I-CVI) ranged from 0.75 to 1.00, and the overall instrument's average scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) was 0.93. The statistical analysis revealed a positive correlation (r) between the CPOT and the patient's FPT scores (0.877-0.983, P < 0.01). The significant agreement amongst raters (κ) revealed the inter-rater reliability of the CPOT (0.739-0.834, P < 0.01).

Conclusion

The Indonesian version of the CPOT has been proven valid and reliable in assessing pain in patients with critical illness and/or decreased LOC.

Validation of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) in pediatric patients undergoing orthopedic surgery

Background

Postoperative pain cannot be measured accurately among many children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, resulting in underrecognition or delay in recognition of pain. The Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) is a pain assessment tool that has been widely validated in critically ill and postoperative adults.

Aims

The objective of this study was to validate the CPOT for use with pediatric patients able to self-report and undergoing posterior spinal fusion surgery.

Methods

Twenty-four patients (10-18 years old) scheduled to undergo surgery were consented to this repeated-measure, within-subject study. To examine discriminative and criterion validation, CPOT scores and patients' self-reports of pain intensity were collected prospectively by a bedside rater before, during, and after a nonnociceptive and nociceptive procedure on the day following surgery. Patients' behavioral reactions were video recorded at the bedside and retrospectively viewed by two independent video raters to examine interrater and intrarater reliability of CPOT scores.

Results

Discriminative validation was supported with higher CPOT scores during the nociceptive procedure than during the nonnociceptive procedure. Criterion validation was supported with a moderate positive correlation between the CPOT scores and the patients' self-reported pain intensity during the nociceptive procedure. A CPOT cutoff score of ≥2 was associated with the maximum sensitivity (61.3%) and specificity (94.1%). Reliability analyses revealed poor to moderate agreement between bedside and video raters and moderate to excellent consistency within video raters.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that the CPOT may be a valid tool to detect pain in pediatric patients in the acute postoperative inpatient care unit after posterior spinal fusion.

Comparison of Pain Score in Patients with Brain Disorders Using Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) and Nonverbal Pain Scale (NVPS)

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death, which ranges from mild and irreversible to severe and life-threatening injuries. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the pain score in patients with brain disorders using Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) and Nonverbal Pain Scale (NVPS). Methods: A descriptive comparative study was performed in Ilam province, Iran, in a group of head trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit who were intubated. One hundred twenty observations of nurses’ practice were performed. A purposive sampling method was utilized. The CPOT and NVPS assessed the pain, and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) assessed the state of consciousness. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 software. Results: Patients’ mean ± SD age was 38.45 ± 4.2 years. The mean ± SD pain score on the CPOT before the procedure was 0.39 ± 0.49 in the facial expression dimension, 0.56 ± 0.49 in activity, 0.54 ± 0.50 in muscle tension, and 0.55 ± 0.49 in compatibility with the ventilator. The mean ± SD pain score on the NVPS before the procedure was 0.97 ± 0.20 in facial expression dimension, 0.94 ± 0.49 in activity, 0.95 ± 0.31 in guarding, 0.64 ± 0.49 in vital signs, and 0.92 ± 0.53 in excitement. Conclusions: Both CPOT and NVPS were effective in diagnosing patients’ pain, but the CPOT was more appropriate for diagnosing pain in intubated patients.

Effect of oral chlorhexidine de-adoption and implementation of an oral care bundle on mortality for mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (CHORAL): a multi-center stepped wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial

Purpose

Oral chlorhexidine is used widely for mechanically ventilated patients to prevent pneumonia, but recent studies show an association with excess mortality. We examined whether de-adoption of chlorhexidine and parallel implementation of a standardized oral care bundle reduces intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in mechanically ventilated patients.

Methods

A stepped wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial with concurrent process evaluation in 6 ICUs in Toronto, Canada. Clusters were randomized to de-adopt chlorhexidine and implement a standardized oral care bundle at 2-month intervals. The primary outcome was ICU mortality. Secondary outcomes were time to infection-related ventilator-associated complications (IVACs), oral procedural pain and oral health dysfunction. An exploratory post hoc analysis examined time to extubation in survivors.

Results

A total of 3260 patients were enrolled; 1560 control, 1700 intervention. ICU mortality for the intervention and control periods were 399 (23.5%) and 330 (21.2%), respectively (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.82 to 1.54; P = 0.46). Time to IVACs (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.06; 95% CI 0.44 to 2.57; P = 0.90), time to extubation (aHR 1.03; 95% CI 0.85 to 1.23; P = 0.79) (survivors) and oral procedural pain (aOR, 0.62; 95% CI 0.34 to 1.10; P = 0.10) were similar between control and intervention periods. However, oral health dysfunction scores (− 0.96; 95% CI − 1.75 to − 0.17; P = 0.02) improved in the intervention period.

Conclusion

Among mechanically ventilated ICU patients, no benefit was observed for de-adoption of chlorhexidine and implementation of an oral care bundle on ICU mortality, IVACs, oral procedural pain, or time to extubation. The intervention may improve oral health.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00134-021-06475-2.

The Diagnostic Accuracy of Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) in ICU Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The critical care pain observation tool (CPOT) has been widely used to assess pain in ICU patients, and its validity and reliability have been tested in various contexts.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the CPOT in critically ill patients, a systematic review of diagnostic studies was performed.

METHODS

A database search (PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, ProQuest, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, COVIP, CBM) was conducted, as was the manual identification of eligible papers from citations. Eligible studies were published between 2006 and February 2020. Quality appraisal of the studies was carried out with the QUADAS-2 checklist, and data extraction was performed in alignment with STARD 2015. Open Meta Analyst was used for the statistical analysis.

RESULTS

In total, 25 articles involving 1920 subjects with 3493 experimental results were included. Most of the studies were of fair quality. A high degree of heterogeneity (I² = 57.2%, P < 0.001) was discovered. The Youden index values were 1.56 and 1.55 when the CPOT threshold was set at two and three, respectively. The diagnostic performance of the CPOT was affected by the reference standard. The CPOT had a higher diagnostic odds ratio of 11.52 (95% CI: 7.42-17.87) during nociceptive procedures compared with 9.14 (95% CI: 5.38-15.53) at rest or during non-nociceptive procedures.

CONCLUSION

CPOT has moderate diagnostic parameters with a threshold of two or three, suggesting that it is a fair but not excellent tool. More research on the validity of the CPOT in specific subgroups is needed to broaden its applicability in critical care.

Recall of pain and discomfort during oral procedures experienced by intubated critically ill patients in the intensive care unit: A qualitative elicitation study

Background: Intubated and mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) may experience pain during routine oral procedures such as oral suctioning and tooth brushing. Despite the importance of pain prevention and management, little is known about patients’ experiences of procedural oral pain.

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore patients’ recollections and recommendations for pain and discomfort during routine oral procedures.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used. Adult patients were recruited from a mixed medical–surgical–trauma ICU in an academic hospital in Toronto, Canada. Participants were interviewed using object elicitation methods within 7 days of discharge from the ICU. Data were analyzed using directed content analysis methods.

Results: We recruited 33 participants who were primarily male (23, 70%), with an average age of 54 (SD = 18) years, admitted with a medical (13, 39%), trauma (11, 33%), or surgical (9, 27%) diagnosis and dentate (27, 82%). Most participants described oral procedures as painful, discomforting, and emotionally distressing. Identified sources of pain included dry, inflamed oral tissues and procedural technique. Procedural pain behaviors were perceived to be frequently misinterpreted by clinicians as agitation, with consequences including physical restraint and unrelieved suffering. Participants advocated for greater frequency of oral care to prevent oral health deterioration, anticipatory procedural guidance, and structured pain assessment to mitigate the dehumanizing experience of unmanaged pain.

Conclusions: Patients described routine oral care procedures as painful and recalled suboptimal management of such pain. Procedural oral pain is an important target for practice improvement.

A Psychometric Analysis Update of Behavioral Pain Assessment Tools for Noncommunicative, Critically Ill Adults

This is an updated, comprehensive review of the psychometric properties of behavioral pain assessment tools for use with noncommunicative, critically ill adults. Articles were searched in 5 health databases. A total of 106 articles were analyzed, including 54 recently published papers. Nine behavioral pain assessment tools developed for noncommunicative critically ill adults and 4 tools developed for other non-communicative populations were included. The scale development process, reliability, validity, feasibility, and clinical utility were analyzed using a 0 to 20 scoring system, and quality of evidence was also evaluated. The Behavioral Pain Scale, the Behavioral Pain Scale-Nonintubated, and the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool remain the tools with the strongest psychometric properties, with validation testing having been conducted in multiple countries and various languages. Other tools may be good alternatives, but additional research on them is necessary.

Pain Assessment in the Patient Unable to Self-Report: Clinical Practice Recommendations in Support of the ASPMN 2019 Position Statement

Pain is a subjective experience, unfortunately, some patients cannot provide a self-report of pain verbally, in writing, or by other means. In patients who are unable to self-report pain, other strategies must be used to infer pain and evaluate interventions. In support of the ASPMN position statement "Pain Assessment in the Patient Unable to Self-Report", this paper provides clinical practice recommendations for five populations in which difficulty communicating pain often exists: neonates, toddlers and young children, persons with intellectual disabilities, critically ill/unconscious patients, older adults with advanced dementia, and patients at the end of life. Nurses are integral to ensuring assessment and treatment of these vulnerable populations.

Exploration of difficulty accessing the mouths of intubated and mechanically ventilated adults for oral care: A video and photographic elicitation study

AIM

To explore descriptors of difficulty accessing the mouths of intubated and mechanically ventilated adults for oral care, consequences, modifiable antecedents and recommendations for improving care delivery.

BACKGROUND

Nurses report oral access and care delivery difficulty in most mechanically ventilated patients.

DESIGN

A prospective qualitative descriptive design.

METHODS

Data were collected using video and photographic elicitation interviews focused on delivery of oral care. Directed content analysis was used to explore descriptive categories. Reporting used the SRQR guidelines.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A university-affiliated hospital in Toronto, Canada. Participants included clinicians experienced in accessing the oral space of adults representing nursing, medicine, dentistry and allied health professionals.

FINDINGS

We recruited 18 participants; 9 representing critical care and 9 other specialties frequently accessing the mouth, that is dentistry. Descriptors for observed difficulty accessing the oral cavity were "oral crowding with tubes" and "aversive patient responses", which were considered to result in insufficient oral care. Participants perceived aversive patient responses (e.g. biting, turning head side to side, gagging, coughing) as a consequence of forced introduction of instruments inside a crowded mouth. A key finding identified by participants was the observation of substantial procedural pain during oral care interventions. Potentially modifiable antecedents to difficult oral care delivery identified were procedural pain, oral health deterioration (e.g. xerostomia) and lack of interprofessional team problem-solving. Recommendations to address these antecedents included patient preparation for oral care through verbal and nonverbal cueing, pharmacological and nonpharmacological strategies, and ICU interprofessional education.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral care in mechanically ventilated adults is complex and painful. Visual research methods offer important advantages for oral care exploration including its ability to reveal less visible aspects of the nurse-patient encounter, thereby enabling novel insights and care.

RELEVANCE FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE

Interprofessional education and training in oral health and care interventions tailored to mechanically ventilated patients are recommended.