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 .
Clinically meaningful measurement of pain in children with sickle cell disease.
BACKGROUND Limited underst and ing of the interpretability of patient-reported pain scores may impact pain management . The current study assessed the minimal clinical ly significant improvement in pain and pain scores signifying patient-reported need for medication and treatment satisfaction in patients with sickle cell disease ( SCD ) . PROCEDURE Patients , 8 - 18-years-old , with SCD were recruited while receiving treatment for pain .  Patients completed initial pain severity ratings using the Visual Analog Scale ( VAS ) and the Numeric Rating Scale ( NRS ) . Serial assessment s of pain severity , pain relief , perceived need for medication , and treatment satisfaction were completed in the emergency department and the hospitalization . Data were used to calculate the minimal clinical ly significant improvement in pain and pain scores associated with perceived need for pain medication and treatment satisfaction . RESULTS Twenty-eight patients completed 305 assessment s during 37 total visits . A decrease in pain severity score of 0.97 cm for the VAS and 0.9 for the NRS was found to be the minimum clinical ly significant improvement in pain . Pain scores > 7.45 cm on the VAS or 7.5 on the NRS were suggestive of patient-reported need for pain medication . Pain scores < 7.35 cm on the VAS or 8.5 on the NRS were suggestive of patient-reported treatment satisfaction discrimination . CONCLUSIONS The minimal clinical significant improvement was defined for the VAS and NRS and both scales were able to discriminate between important clinical findings including pain relief , need for pain medication , and treatment satisfaction . Collectively , this study provides data to improve our underst and ing of pain ratings of pediatric patients with SCD
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 .