ReviewJournal of patient-reported outcomes2017
Response scale selection in adult pain measures: results from a literature review.
Review in Journal of patient-reported outcomes, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 78 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Randomized Clinical Trial of Mindful Movement for Patients With Chronic Pelvic
Diode Laser as a Biomarker for Neuropathic Pain of Peripheral Origin.
Who cites it
78 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Effect of ozone therapy on post-operative pain following mandibular third molar surgical extraction: a split-mouth randomized clinical trial.Clinical oral investigations · 2025Trial
- Detecting Feigned Pain Using an Eye-Tracker Integrated Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS).Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025Trial
- Pain as bad as you can imagine or extremely severe pain? A randomized controlled trial comparing two pain scale anchors.Journal of patient-reported outcomes · 2023Trial
- Bicentre, randomized, parallel-arm, sham-controlled trial of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) in the treatment of palliative care patients with refractory cancer pain.BMC palliative care · 2023Trial
- The Effect of Scheduled Intravenous Acetaminophen in an Enhanced Recovery Protocol Pathway in Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Procedures: A Prospective, Randomized, and Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2022Trial
- Exploratory study of how Cognitive Multisensory Rehabilitation restores parietal operculum connectivity and improves upper limb movements in chronic stroke.Scientific reports · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Does Interoceptive Sensibility Mediate the Relationship Between Emotional Distress and Pain Severity? A Cross-Sectional Study in Chronic Pain and Pain-Free Individuals.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Article
- ChatGPT improves readability in validated spine patient-reported outcome measures.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Article
- Prevalence of delirium in German nursing homes: A cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Feasibility and tolerability of Musa sp. pseudo-stem core powder as a dietary supplement with gut microbiota-modulating potential: a pilot randomised controlled trial.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Article
- Percutaneous compression screw fixation for hinge fractures in distal femoral osteotomy does not compromise radiographic or clinical outcomes: A retrospective case-control study.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2026Article
- Pilot Study of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Protocol via Videoconference for the Management of Pain, Emotional Distress, and Quality of Life in Mexican Patients with Cancer and Chronic Pain.Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings · 2026Article
- Reduced knee extensor torque steadiness and increased motor unit discharge rate variability in young people with patellofemoral pain: a pilot study.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Relationship between anxiety symptoms and cervical motor control in individuals without diagnosed psychiatric or neurological disorders.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Pharmacological and rehabilitation strategies in opioid-induced constipation: an observational study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Pain when it "counts": hurdle analysis of clinical pain ratings improves data model performance.Pain reports · 2025Article
- The Impact of Opioid-Sparing Analgesia on Postoperative Pain and Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Pain and therapy · 2025Article
18 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe purpose of this literature review was to examine the existing patient-reported outcome measurement literature to understand the empirical evidence supporting response scale selection in pain measurement for the adult population.
methodsThe search strategy involved a comprehensive, structured, literature review with multiple search objectives and search terms.
resultsThe searched yielded 6918 abstracts which were reviewed against study criteria for eligibility across the adult pain objective. The review included 42 review articles, consensus guidelines, expert opinion pieces, and primary research articles providing insights into optimal response scale selection for pain assessment in the adult population. Based on the extensive and varied literature on pain assessments, the adult pain studies typically use simple response scales with single-item measures of pain-a numeric rating scale, visual analog scale, or verbal rating scale. Across 42 review articles, consensus guidelines, expert opinion pieces, and primary research articles, the NRS response scale was most often recommended in these guidance documents. When reviewing the empirical basis for these recommendations, we found that the NRS had slightly superior measurement properties (e.g., reliability, validity, responsiveness) across a wide variety of contexts of use as compared to other response scales.
conclusionsBoth empirical studies and review articles provide evidence that the 11-point NRS is likely the optimal response scale to evaluate pain among adult patients without cognitive impairment.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.