Full metadata record
DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributorMulti-disciplinary Studiesen_US
dc.contributorDepartment of Nursing and Health Sciencesen_US
dc.creatorLiu, Yat-wa Justina-
dc.identifier.urihttps://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/331-
dc.languageEnglishen_US
dc.publisherHong Kong Polytechnic University-
dc.rightsAll rights reserveden_US
dc.titleThe psychometric properties of pain intensity verbal rating scale-Chinese (PIVRS-C)en_US
dcterms.abstractBackground: Most of the commonly used pain assessment tools in local clinical areas were developed in the West and there are few researches that verified the psychometric properties of these tools on Chinese. The interpretation and expression of pain are closely related to individual's cultural background. Thus, the pain assessment tools developed in the West may not be able to reflect the pain experience in Chinese population. In view of this, the Pain Intensity Verbal Rating Scale - Chinese (PIVRS-C) was constructed by Chung, Wong, Yang, and Wong (1999) for pain assessment - the descriptors used in PIVRS-C were obtained by a cross-sectional descriptive survey on commonly used pain descriptors among Hong Kong Chinese. Before it can be used in clinical settings, it is necessary to establish its psychometric properties. Therefore, the objective of this study is to verify its psychometric properties. Method: This is a correlational comparative study. Fifty Hong Kong Chinese adults were recruited. Mechanical experimental pain was used in this study and it was produced by a pain source generator (Precision Pain Source, PPS-3). Four levels of pain stimulation (i.e. 350g, 550g, 750g and 950g) were applied to the subject's proximal interphalangeal joint at middle and index finger at random sequences. The subjects were then requested to rate their pain intensity using PIVRS-C and visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: In order to verify the consistency of VAS and PIVRS-C, test and retest reliability were applied in this study and the duration between the two tests was around five to seven days. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to estimate the test and retest reliability between the two scales. The ICC ranged from 0.78 to 0.90 which indicated good reliability. Factor analysis was used to investigate the validity of VAS and PIVRS-C and to assess their unidimensionality (i.e. intensity of pain). In each of these analyses, a single factor emerged. The large first eigenvalues of each matrix was 3.42, 3.24, 3.17 and 3.29 for 350g, 550g, 750g and 950g level of pain respectively. It could be concluded that both VAS and PIVRS-C were measuring the same dimension in pain (i.e. intensity). The high correlation coefficient showed that there was good positive correlation between the two scales in the first test (r = 0.92 , p < 0.001) and in the retest (r = 0.91, p < 0.001). However, the range of VAS score corresponding to each PIVRS-C category was wide. Conclusion: The two scales have a similar degree of reliability and validity for measuring subjective pain intensity in Chinese adults. However, PIVRS-C has advantages over other pain intensity scales. 1) it is cultural relevance for Hong Kong Chinese, 2) it improves local health professionals' understanding of the pain experience among local adult patients, 3) it provides more level of discrimination of a pain experience compared with the 5-point VRS, 4) it is simple to administer, easy to score and easily understood by patients. In conclusion, all types of pain assessment tools have their strengths and weakness. The selection of pain tools should consider the measurement situation and the nature of the patients' characteristic. It is expected that the results of this study will provide more choices in pain tools.en_US
dcterms.extentviii, 91 leaves : ill. ; 30 cmen_US
dcterms.isPartOfPolyU Electronic Thesesen_US
dcterms.issued2001en_US
dcterms.educationalLevelAll Masteren_US
dcterms.educationalLevelM.Sc.en_US
dcterms.LCSHPain -- Measurementen_US
dcterms.LCSHChinese -- China -- Hong Kongen_US
dcterms.LCSHHong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertationsen_US
dcterms.accessRightsrestricted accessen_US

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
b15548715.pdfFor All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only)2.84 MBAdobe PDFView/Open


Copyright Undertaking

As a bona fide Library user, I declare that:

  1. I will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the Database.
  2. I will use the Database for the purpose of my research or private study only and not for circulation or further reproduction or any other purpose.
  3. I agree to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage.

By downloading any item(s) listed above, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the copyright undertaking as stated above, and agree to be bound by all of its terms.

Show simple item record

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/331