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 .
Analgesic Effects of EMLA Cream and Oral Sucrose During Venipuncture in Preterm Infants
OBJECTIVE : The goal of this study was to compare the analgesic effect of sucrose with that of the combination of sucrose and the local anesthetic cream EMLA during venipuncture in preterm neonates . METHODS : This r and omized , double-blind prospect i ve study included infants younger than 37 weeks ' gestational age during 1 routine venipuncture for blood sampling . Each child r and omly received either sucrose plus application of a placebo cream ( S group ) or sucrose plus EMLA cream ( S+E group ) before venipuncture . Venipuncture-induced pain was assessed through videotapes of the procedures by using the Douleur Aiguë Nouveau-né ( DAN ) behavioral scale . Pain was assessed at 2 phases : during venipuncture ( from needle introduction to its removal ) and during the recovery period ( 30 seconds after needle removal ) . Pain scores over time and between treatments were compared by using repeated- measures analysis of variance . RESULTS : The study included 76 children ( 37 in the S group , 39 in the S+E group ) .  Mean ( SD ) DAN pain scores for the S group and the S+E group were 7.7 ( 2.1 ) and 6.4 ( 2.5 ) , respectively , during venipuncture and 7.1 ( 2.8 ) and 5.7 ( 3.3 ) during the postinjection period . A significant time and treatment effect in favor of the S+E group was observed . CONCLUSION : The combination of sucrose and EMLA cream revealed a higher analgesic effect than sucrose alone during venipuncture in these preterm infants
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 .