Psychometric Testing of the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS): A New Pain Scale for Military Population.
The Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS 2.0) is a pain assessment tool that utilizes a numerical rating scale enhanced by functional word descriptors, color coding, and pictorial facial expressions matched to pain levels. Four supplemental questions measure how much pain interferes with usual activity and sleep, and affects mood and contributes to stress.



Psychometric testing was performed on a revised DVPRS 2.0 using data from 307 active duty service members and Veterans experiencing acute or chronic pain. A new set of facial representations designating pain levels was tested.



Results demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.871) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.637 to r = 0.774) for the five items. Excellent interrater agreement was established for correctly ordering faces depicting pain levels and aligning them on the pain intensity scale (Kendall's coefficient of concordance, W = 0.95 and 0.959, respectively). Construct validity was supported by an exploratory principal component factor analysis and known groups validity testing. Most participants, 70.9%, felt that the DVPRS was superior to other pain rating scales.



The DVPRS 2.0 is a reliable and valid instrument that provides standard language and metrics to communicate pain and related outcomes.
*Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rosemary C
RC
Polomano
Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM), Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Rockville, Maryland.
Kevin T
KT
Galloway
Department of Anesthesiology, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.
Michael L
ML
Kent
Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM), Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Rockville, Maryland.
Hisani
H
Brandon-Edwards
Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM), Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Rockville, Maryland.
Kyung Nancy
KN
Kwon
Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM), Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Rockville, Maryland.
Carlos
C
Morales
Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM), Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Rockville, Maryland Department of Military Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA cbuckenmaier@dvcipm.org.
Chester 'Trip'
C'
Buckenmaier
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014728:Veterans; D055815:Young Adult
DVPRS; Military Pain; Pain Measurement; Pain Scales; Validation Study