Photo Credit: Alexey Yaremenko

The following is a summary of “Development and Validation of a Short Version (PAIC6) of the Pain Assessment in Impaired Cognition Scale,” published in the February 2025 issue of European Journal of Pain by Schreiber et al. 

Observer pain scales were commonly used to assess individuals with pain and impaired cognition, but nursing staff reported that time constraints and workload demands hindered regular use.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to develop a short version of the Pain Assessment in Impaired Cognition (PAIC15) to reduce implementation barriers in clinical practice.  

They developed a 6-item short version (PAIC6) using an initial sample (N = 59) and validated its psychometric properties in a second sample (N = 250) of older Adults (OAs) with cognitive impairments. Item reduction and evaluation followed 4 steps. First, Sample 1 was analyzed to exclude items based on quality statistics (e.g., difficulty, reliability). Second, the Partial Credit Model (PCM) was applied to further refine items using Sample 1. Third, an expert panel reviewed the findings and proposed a PAIC6. Fourth, psychometric properties were assessed in the independent Sample 2, leading to the final approval of PAIC6.  

The results showed the new PAIC6 had a strong correlation with the full PAIC15 (r = 0.870). It demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.684) and high convergent construct validity, as indicated by a strong correlation with the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (r = 0.602).  

Investigators concluded that the development of a valid, reliable, and clinically valuable PAIC6 that allowed for more time-efficient pain assessment, reducing the assessment time by approximately 60%. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejp.4795