Interprofessional concordance in pain assessment: a comparative analysis among health professionals

Authors

  • María Fernanda Cueva Moncayo
  • Zaihrys Herrera Lazo
  • Anahí Bonilla Rodríguez

Keywords:

pain, Visual Analog Scales, Kendall's Concordance Coefficient, pain measurement, assessors

Abstract

Introduction: Correct assessment of patients' pain in clinical settings leads to improved patient care.

Objective: To evaluate the concordance between different health professionals in the measurement of pain using standard pain assessment scales.

 

Methods: The study was observational, cross-sectional, prospective and analytical. The population consisted of 60 health professionals (general practitioners, nurses and physiotherapists) from a hospital in Ecuador. Kendall's Concordance Coefficient was used to analyze the concordance between the scores assigned in the Visual Analogical Pain Scale.

Results: The mean age of the evaluators was 40.75 years, with a range of 30 years. The standard error for this value was 1.219, while the standard deviation was 9.445. 51.7 % of the participants were men (N=31), and the remaining 48.3 % were women (N=29). In each case analyzed, a different mean was observed (from 0.02 to 3.05), indicating different degrees in the variable for each clinical case. Kendall's Concordance Coefficient (0.980) indicated a high level of concordance or agreement between the different evaluators classified in three groups. A significant chi-square value (235.090) was observed with 4 degrees of freedom, and an asymptotic significance less than 0.001.

Conclusions: The alternative hypothesis is supported, indicating the existence of concordance in VAS assessments between general practitioners, nurses and physical therapists in relation to the clinical cases analyzed.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Published

2024-04-03

How to Cite

1.
Cueva Moncayo MF, Herrera Lazo Z, Bonilla Rodríguez A. Interprofessional concordance in pain assessment: a comparative analysis among health professionals. Rev Cubana Inv Bioméd [Internet]. 2024 Apr. 3 [cited 2025 Dec. 8];43. Available from: https://revibiomedica.sld.cu/index.php/ibi/article/view/3267