title: Approaches to Demonstrating the Reliability and Validity of Core Diagnostic Criteria for Chronic Pain.
abstract: The Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks-American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy (AAPT) is designed to be an evidence-based multidimensional chronic pain classification system that will facilitate more comprehensive and consistent chronic pain diagnoses, and thereby enhance research, clinical communication, and ultimately patient care. Core diagnostic criteria (dimension 1) for individual chronic pain conditions included in the initial version of AAPT will be the focus of subsequent empirical research to evaluate and provide evidence for their reliability and validity. Challenges to validating diagnostic criteria in the absence of clear and identifiable pathophysiological mechanisms are described. Based in part on previous experience regarding the development of evidence-based diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders, headache, and specific chronic pain conditions (fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, temporomandibular disorders, pain associated with spinal cord injuries), several potential approaches for documentation of the reliability and validity of the AAPT diagnostic criteria are summarized.
  
  
  
  The AAPT is designed to be an evidence-based multidimensional chronic pain classification system. Conceptual and methodological issues related to demonstrating the reliability and validity of the proposed AAPT chronic pain diagnostic criteria are discussed.
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. Electronic address: Stephen.Bruehl@vanderbilt.edu.
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Bruehl
authors: Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Ohrbach
authors: Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.
authors: Sonia
authors: S
authors: Sharma
authors: Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Widerstrom-Noga
authors: Department of Neurology in the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION), University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York.
authors: Robert H
authors: RH
authors: Dworkin
authors: Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, Gainesville, Florida.
authors: Roger B
authors: RB
authors: Fillingim
authors: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors: Dennis C
authors: DC
authors: Turk
mesh_terms: D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Chronic pain; classification; diagnostic criteria; reliability; taxonomy; validity