The Algoplus Score to Assess Acute Postoperative pain in Elderly patients–A Pilot Observational Study

Validation of the Japanese version of Algoplus® for the assessment of acute postoperative pain in older patients with cancer

AIM

This study aimed to validate a Japanese version of the Algoplus® tool by assessing postoperative pain in older Japanese patients with cancer and examining the scale's psychometric properties.

METHODS

After translating Algoplus® into Japanese, we conducted a cross-sectional study of patients aged 65 years or older who underwent surgery to remove malignant tumors. Two registered nurse-certified investigators used the Numerical Rating Scale, the Japanese version of Algoplus®, and the Japanese version of the Abbey Pain Scale before and after analgesic use on postoperative days 3 and 5 to evaluate response to pharmacologic therapy. Validity was tested by a correlation analysis between the Japanese version of Algoplus®, two pain scales, and nine hypotheses related to demographic variables and surgical invasions. The Kuder-Richardson-20 test and Cohen's Kappa coefficient were used for internal consistency and inter-rater reliability, respectively.

RESULTS

The total score of the Japanese version of Algoplus® showed strong to moderate correlations with the two pain scales. Demographic characteristics were not associated with the total score of the Japanese version, but significant correlations with operative time and postoperative analgesia administration existed. The scale demonstrated good internal consistency (Kuder-Richardson-20 α: .70) and inter-rater reliability (Kappa coefficient .72). The total score of the Japanese version decreased significantly after analgesic use in both postoperative assessments.

CONCLUSIONS

The Japanese version of Algoplus® is a reliable and valid instrument for nurses to easily assess acute postoperative pain in older Japanese patients with cancer and shows good responsiveness for detecting the change in pain status.

Validation of the Critical Care Pain Observational Tool in Palliative Care

PURPOSE

Pain assessment at the end of life remains a problem for patients who are unable to self-report their pain when transitioning across care settings. This study therefore tested the internal consistency and discriminant, concurrent, and convergent validity of the Critical-Care Pain Observational Tool (French version) when used with end-of-life patients in a palliative care setting.

DESIGN

This was a descriptive correlational study that used a repeated-measures within-subjects prospective design.

METHODS

The pain of 13 patients was assessed when at rest and during turning.

RESULTS

The internal consistency reliability coefficient alphas were .64 at rest and .70 during turning. Discriminant validity was shown by a decrease in the total Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool score. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by the association between the patients' self-report of pain and the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool score at rest (0.65, p < .016) and during turning (0.77, p = .002). Finally, the convergent validity between the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool score and the Algoplus scale score was demonstrated with a Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0.76 at rest and 0.84 during turning.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool can be used with end-of-life patients in French-speaking countries.

Algoplus® Scale in Older Patients with Dementia: A Reliable Real-World Pain Assessment Tool

Pain is still a neglected clinical issue in elderly people with dementia and/or communicative disorders, with an unacceptable higher rate of under diagnosis and under treatment. Cognitive deficit and emotional and psychological disturbances entangle pain symptoms, affecting patient self-report. So far, observational pain tools do not have fully adequate clinimetric properties and quality requirements for easy-to-use daily rating. Older patients with dementia represent a clinical challenge. The assessment of pain is important for improving clinical outcomes, such as functional status, frailty trajectories, comorbidity, and quality of life. The PAINAID scale appears to be the most accurate pain tool in people with dementia along with the Algoplus® scale, a recently developed tool to rapidly assess acute pain in hospitals settings. The present study aimed to assess the clinimetric properties of the Algoplus®, as compared to PAINAID, for detecting acute pain in a real-world cohort of hospitalized older patients with dementia.