Pain Assessment: Use of the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale in Patients With Cancer.

Pain Assessment: Use of the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale in Patients With Cancer.
Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2018 Dec 01;22(6):643-648
Authors: Blackburn LM, Burns K, DiGiannantoni E, Meade K, O'Leary C, Stiles R
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Thorough, consistent pain assessment and reassessment are critical to guide and evaluate interventions designed to improve pain.
OBJECTIVES: Based on a literature review about functional pain assessment, clinicians selected and then implemented the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS) as a pain assessment instrument option in a comprehensive cancer center.
METHODS: The DVPRS was added as a pain assessment instrument in clinical oncology practice. From postimplementation chart review and clinician satisfaction surveys, the DVPRS was evaluated for the following.
FINDINGS: Seventy-eight percent of nurses surveyed (N = 64) preferred the DVPRS over any other pain assessment tool. Inpatient and ambulatory patients surveyed (N = 144) agreed that a Likert-type scale in the DVPRS was easier to understand, easier to use, and better in describing their pain than the numeric rating scale.
PMID: 30451995 [PubMed - in process]

Source: Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing - November 21, 2018 Category: Nursing Authors: Blackburn LM, Burns K, DiGiannantoni E, Meade K, O'Leary C, Stiles R Tags: Clin J Oncol Nurs Source Type: research