From analyses of individual patient data ( seven studies , 918 patients ) , we found baseline pain strongly associated with absolute , but not relative , MCID as patients with higher baseline pain needed larger pain reduction to perceive relief .
Conclusions The MCID in acute pain varied greatly between studies and was influenced by baseline pain , definitions of improved patients and study design .
Background The minimum clinical ly important difference ( MCID ) is used to interpret the clinical relevance of results reported by trials and meta-analyses as well as to plan sample sizes in new studies .
However , there is a lack of consensus about the size of MCID in acute pain , which is a core symptom affecting patients across many clinical conditions .
A Comparison of Change in the 0–10 Numeric Rating Scale to a Pain Relief Scale and Global Medication Performance Scale in a Short-term Clinical Trial of Breakthrough Pain Intensity
Background : Pain intensity is commonly reported using a 0–10 Numeric Rating Scale in pain clinical trials . Analysis of the change on the Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale as a proportion has most consistently correlated with clinical ly important differences reported on the patient 's global impression of change . The correlation of data from patients with breakthrough pain with a Pain Relief Scale and a different global outcome measures will extend our underst and ing of these measures . Methods : Data were obtained from the open titration phase of a multiple crossover , r and omized , double-blind clinical trial comparing oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate with immediate-release oral morphine sulfate for the treatment of cancer-related breakthrough pain . Raw and percentage changes in the pain intensity scores from 1,307 episodes of pain in 134 oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate-naïve patients were correlated with the clinical ly relevant secondary outcomes of Pain Relief Verbal Response Scale and the global medication performance scale . The changes in raw and percentage change were assessed over time and compared with the ordinal Pain Relief Verbal Response Scale and Global Medication Performance Scale . Results : The P value of the interaction between the raw pain intensity difference was significant ( P = 0.034 ) for four 15-min time periods but not for the percentage pain intensity difference score ( P = 0.26 ) . We found similar results in comparison with the ordinal Pain Relief Verbal Response Scale ( P = 0.0048 and P = 0.36 respectively ) and global medication performance categories ( P = 0.048 and P = 0.45 , respectively ) . Conclusion : The change in pain intensity in breakthrough pain was more consistent over time and when compared with both the Pain Relief Verbal Response Scale and the Global Medication Performance Scale when the percentage change is used rather than raw pain intensity difference
From analyses of individual patient data ( seven studies , 918 patients ) , we found baseline pain strongly associated with absolute , but not relative , MCID as patients with higher baseline pain needed larger pain reduction to perceive relief .
Conclusions The MCID in acute pain varied greatly between studies and was influenced by baseline pain , definitions of improved patients and study design .
Background The minimum clinical ly important difference ( MCID ) is used to interpret the clinical relevance of results reported by trials and meta-analyses as well as to plan sample sizes in new studies .
However , there is a lack of consensus about the size of MCID in acute pain , which is a core symptom affecting patients across many clinical conditions .