title: Self-Report Measures of Hand Pain Intensity: Current Evidence and Recommendations.
abstract: Successful management of problems related to the hands and upper extremities begins with a comprehensive assessment of the pain experience and related factors. Pain intensity is the domain most commonly assessed, and pain relief is often the primary goal of treatment. Because pain is a private and subjective experience, self-report is considered the gold standard of pain measurement. This article describes and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the most commonly used self-report scales used to measure hand pain intensity, and gives recommendations to help clinicians select from among the various options for measuring the intensity of hand pain.
authors.affiliation: Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain - ALGOS, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Carretera de Valls, s/n 43007, Spain; Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Carretera de Valls, s/n 43007, Spain; Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (IISPV), Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Carretera de Valls, s/n 43007, Spain.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castarlenas
authors.affiliation: Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain - ALGOS, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Carretera de Valls, s/n 43007, Spain; Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Carretera de Valls, s/n 43007, Spain; Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (IISPV), Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Carretera de Valls, s/n 43007, Spain.
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de la Vega
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Box 359612, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. Electronic address: mjensen@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Unit for the Study and Treatment of Pain - ALGOS, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Carretera de Valls, s/n 43007, Spain; Department of Psychology, Research Center for Behavior Assessment (CRAMC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Carretera de Valls, s/n 43007, Spain; Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (IISPV), Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Carretera de Valls, s/n 43007, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miró
mesh_terms: D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D057566:Self Report
keywords: Assessment; Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index; Hand; Numerical rating scales; Pain intensity; Patient-Rated Wrist/Hand Evaluation; Verbal rating scales; Visual analog scales