Validation of the Pain Assessment in Neonates (PAIN) scale with the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS).
OBJECTIVE
To establish the validity and clinical usefulness of a modified pain assessment scale, the Pain Assessment in Neonates (PAIN) scale.


METHODS
Correlational design to compare scores obtained on the PAIN with scores obtained on the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS).


METHODS
A convenience sample of 196 neonates from an NICU and a step-down unit with gestational ages of 26 to 47 weeks.


METHODS
Bedside nurses observed the neonates for two minutes and then scored their responses on both scales. The scales were scored sequentially and in a randomized order.


METHODS
Correlation of individual item scores and total scores on the PAIN and the NIPS.


RESULTS
The scores for individual items on the PAIN were significantly associated with scores obtained on the NIPS. Overall correlation between the scales was 0.93. These associations suggest that the PAIN is a valid scale for assessment of neonatal pain.
Hudson-Barr
Diane
D
Brenner Children's Hospital, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Capper-Michel
Beverly
B
Lambert
Sally
S
Palermo
Tonya Mizell
TM
Morbeto
Kristen
K
Lombardo
Stephanie
S
D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index