SynthesisBMC neurology2024
Pain assessment tools in adults with communication disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC neurology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Detecting Feigned Pain Using an Eye-Tracker Integrated Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS).Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025Trial
- Scoring points-or missing the point? Rethinking pain assessment and analgesia in older adults.CJEM · 2026Article
- Nursing Home Profit Status and Pain Among Residents Living With Dementia.Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses · 2026Article
- Recognizing Frailty Through Pictures: Turkish Validation of the Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale in Older Adults.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- AVPENet: Pain estimation from audio-visual fusion of non-speech sounds.PLOS digital health · 2026Article
- Best Evidence Summary for Perioperative Pain Management in Patients With Pectus Excavatum.Pain research & management · 2025Review
- Exploring post-operative pain management practices for improved outcomes among nurses in public hospitals in West Shewa, Ethiopia: a multicenter observational study.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Employing the Artificial Intelligence Object Detection Tool YOLOv8 for Real-Time Pain Detection: A Feasibility Study.Journal of pain research · 2024Article
- Automated facial recognition system using deep learning for pain assessment in adults with cerebral palsy.Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundVerbal communication is the "gold standard" for assessing pain. Consequently, individuals with communication disorders are particularly vulnerable to incomplete pain management. This review aims at identifying the current pain assessment instruments for adult patients with communication disorders.
methodsA systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted on PubMed, PEDRO, EBSCOhost, VHL and Cochrane databases from 2011 to 2023 using MeSH terms "pain assessment, "nonverbal communication" and "communication disorders" in conjunction with additional inclusion criteria: studies limited to humans, interventions involving adult patients, and empirical investigations.
resultsFifty articles were included in the review. Seven studies report sufficient data to perform the meta-analysis. Observational scales are the most common instruments to evaluate pain in individuals with communication disorders followed by physiological measures and facial recognition systems. While most pain assessments rely on observational scales, current evidence does not strongly endorse one scale over others for clinical practice. However, specific observational scales appear to be particularly suitable for identifying pain during certain potentially painful procedures, such as suctioning and mobilization, in these populations. Additionally, specific observational scales appear to be well-suited for certain conditions, such as mechanically ventilated patients.
conclusionsWhile observational scales dominate pain assessment, no universal tool exists for adults with communication disorders. Specific scales exhibit promise for distinct populations, yet the diverse landscape of tools hampers a one-size-fits-all solution. Crucially, further high-quality research, offering quantitative data like reliability findings, is needed to identify optimal tools for various contexts. Clinicians should be informed to select tools judiciously, recognizing the nuanced appropriateness of each in diverse clinical situations.
trial registrationThis systematic review is registered in PROSPERO (International prospective register of systematic reviews) with the ID: CRD42022323655 .
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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.