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Validation of brief pain inventory to Brazilian patients with pain

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Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To validate the Brazilian version of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-B) scale and to determine the optimal cutpoints for mild, moderate, and severe pain based on patients' rating of their worst pain.

Methods

One hundred forty-three outpatients with cancer were recruited in Hospital das Clinicas–University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Results

Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed two underlying dimensions, pain severity, and pain interference, with Cronbach's α of 0.91 and 0.87, respectively. Convergent validity was shown by the correlation observed between the BPI dimensions with the EORTC-QLQ-C30 pain scale and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. The BPI-B detected significant differences in the two dimensions by disease and performance status, supporting known-group validity. For the worst pain, the optimal cutpoints were 4 and 7 (1–4 = mild pain, 5–7 = moderate, and 8–10 = severe).

Conclusions

Our data show that BPI-B is a brief, useful, and valid tool for assessing pain and its impact on patient's life.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the physicians, nurses, and physical therapists from the Hospital das Clinicas, School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, who helped us to enroll patients in our study.

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto do Cancer do Estado de Sao Paulo—ICESP, University of Guarulhos-UnG, R. Coronel Camisão, 409, apto. 72, Butanta, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 05590-120

    Karine A. Ferreira

  2. Multidisciplinary Pain Center, Hospital das Clinicas, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Karine A. Ferreira & Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira

  4. Department of Symptom Research, UT-M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

    Tito R. Mendonza & Charles S. Cleeland

Authors
  1. Karine A. Ferreira
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  2. Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira
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  3. Tito R. Mendonza
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  4. Charles S. Cleeland
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karine A. Ferreira.

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Ferreira, K.A., Teixeira, M.J., Mendonza, T.R. et al. Validation of brief pain inventory to Brazilian patients with pain. Support Care Cancer 19, 505–511 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-010-0844-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-010-0844-7

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