Development of a behaviour-based measurement tool with defined intervention level for assessing acute pain in cats

Calvo, G.; Holden, E.; Reid, J.; Scott, E. M.; Firth, A.; Bell, A.; Robertson, S.; Nolan, Andrea M

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To develop a Composite Measure Pain Scale - Feline (CMPS-F) tool to assess acute
pain in cats and derive an intervention score.

METHODS: To develop the prototype CMPS-F, words describing painful cats were collected, grouped
into behavioural categories and ranked. To assess prototype validity two observers independently
assigned CMPS-F and numerical rating scale (NRS) scores to 25 hospitalised cats before and after
analgesic treatment. Following interim analysis the prototype was revised (rCMPS-F). To determine intervention score two observers independently assigned rCMPS-F and NRS scores to 116 cats. A
further observer, a veterinarian, stated whether analgesia was necessary. Statistical tests included
Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, 95% confidence intervals (CI), general linear model ANOVA and linear
discriminant analysis (p < 0.05).

RESULTS: Mean ± SD decrease in rCMPS-F and NRS scores following analgesia were 2.4 ± 2.87 and 1.9 ± 2.34, respectively (95% CI for mean change in rCMPS-F between 1.21 and 3.6). Changes
in rCMPS-F and NRS were significantly correlated (r = 0.8) (p

Citation

Calvo, G., Holden, E., Reid, J., Scott, E. M., Firth, A., Bell, A., …Nolan, A. M. (2014). Development of a behaviour-based measurement tool with defined intervention level for assessing acute pain in cats. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 55(12), 622-629. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12280

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 28, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Dec 3, 2014
• Publication Date: 2014-12
• Deposit Date: Nov 25, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 3, 2014
• Journal: Journal of Small Animal Practice
• Print ISSN: 0022-4510
• Electronic ISSN: 1748-5827
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 55
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 622-629
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12280
• Keywords: Pain; feline; measurement tools; analgesia; validation
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/7356
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12280