Medical Evidence Influence on Inpatients and Nurses Pain Ratings Agreement

Biased pain evaluation due to automated heuristics driven by symptom uncertainty may undermine pain treatment; medical evidence moderators are thought to play a role in such circumstances. We explored, in this cross-sectional survey, the effect of such moderators (e.g., nurse awareness of patients’...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Boaz Gedaliahu Samolsky Dekel, Alberto Gori, Alessio Vasarri, Maria Cristina Sorella, Gianfranco Di Nino, Rita Maria Melotti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-01-01
Series:Pain Research and Management
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/9267536
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Summary:Biased pain evaluation due to automated heuristics driven by symptom uncertainty may undermine pain treatment; medical evidence moderators are thought to play a role in such circumstances. We explored, in this cross-sectional survey, the effect of such moderators (e.g., nurse awareness of patients’ pain experience and treatment) on the agreement between n=862 inpatients’ self-reported pain and n=115 nurses’ pain ratings using a numerical rating scale. We assessed the mean of absolute difference, agreement (κ-statistics), and correlation (Spearman rank) of inpatients and nurses’ pain ratings and analyzed congruence categories’ (CCs: underestimation, congruence, and overestimation) proportions and dependence upon pain categories for each medical evidence moderator (χ2 analysis). Pain ratings agreement and correlation were limited; the CCs proportions were further modulated by the studied moderators. Medical evidence promoted in nurses overestimation of low and underestimation of high inpatients’ self-reported pain. Knowledge of the negative influence of automated heuristics driven by symptoms uncertainty and medical-evidence moderators on pain evaluation may render pain assessment more accurate.
ISSN:1203-6765
1918-1523