SynopsisVisual Analogue Scales (VAS) provide a simple technique for measuring subjective experience. They have been established as valid and reliable in a range of clinical and research applications, although there is also evidence of increased error and decreased sensitivity when used some subject groups. Decisions concerned with the choice of scoring interval, experimental design, and statistical analysis for VAS have in some instances been based on convention, assumption and convenience, highlighting the need for more comprehensive assessment of individual scales if this versatile and sensitive measurement technique is to be used to full advantage.

A 50-year-old married woman who had had a radical mastectomy was on the threshold of ceasing to take adjuvant chemotherapy because of a longstanding needle and blood phobia and a recently acquired conditioned nausea response to hospital and medical situations. A cognitive-behavioural therapy programme incorporating relaxation training, imaginal systematic densitization and video modelling, allowed her to complete the chemotherapy course and to feel less anxious in hospital and medical settings.

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