Pain measurement in the older people: evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Geriatric Pain Measure (GPM-24) – Polish version

Abstract

Background Chronic pain in older people is of particular importance not only with regard to negative subjective experience but also as an indicator of the quality of medical care. Brief scales to assess pain may help health professionals with early recognition and treatment to avoid patient suffering. However, these scales should be adapted to the cultural context to provide valid assessments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Polish translation of the Geriatric Pain Measure – 24 (GPM-24) in older people. Methods The study was conducted among 181 people aged 65 and over with chronic (noncancer) pain of varying intensity lasting more than 6 months. Construct validity was assessed using the principal component analysis (PCA) method with oblimin rotation. Criterion validity was evaluated by correlating the scores of the GPM-24 with the scores of the McGill-Melzack questionnaire (MPQ). The reliability of the GPM-24 was estimated in terms of internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Results The PCA revealed a 6- component structure of the set of items that constituted the GPM-24. Most of these components were defined by items included in the same subscale, similar to the result obtained by the original scale’s authors. There were significant correlations between the GPM-24 and some dimensions of MPQ: affective (rho = 0.25, p = 0.001), present pain intensity (rho = 0.44, p < 0.001), pain rating index total (rho = 0.31, p < 0.001), and number of words chosen (rho = 0.26, p < 0.001). The value of the standardized Cronbach’s alpha equalled 0.89 and thus confirmed the high reliability of the GPM-24. Conclusions The Geriatric Pain Measure − 24 is a reliable and valid tool that is recommended for the monitoring and multidimensional assessment of chronic pain in older people in daily practice as well as in clinical trials. Trial registration Statutory research “Chronic pain in people over 65 years of age” K/ZDS/005733, conducted in 2015–2018.

Factors Correlating with Functional Capacity in Older People with Chronic Pain

“…There are few reports in the literature on the assessment of chronic pain using the GPM-24. Most of the studies conducted so far are selective and concern the assessment of psychometric properties of the GPM-24 [21][22][23][24][25]34,35]. There are no results that would present the analysis of factors determining the functional efficiency of older people with chronic pain assessed in the GPM-24.…”

“…Pain was assessed using the Geriatric Pain Measure-24 (GPM-24) multidimensional scale developed by Bruce A. Ferrell et al [21]. The psychometric properties of the Polish version of the scale were assessed by Puto et al [22].…”

“…The GPM-24 multidimensional scale for assessing pain in older people consists of five subscales: disengagement because of pain (items 6,17,18,19,20,21,24), pain intensity (items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 22, 23), pain with ambulation (items 9, 10, 11, 12), pain with strenuous activities (items 8, 13, 14), and pain with other activities (items 7, 15,16,17,22). Two scale items (17,22) were included in two different subdimensions at the same time. GPM-24 contains 22 dichotomous questions with "yes/no" answers and 2 questions assessing the intensity of pain on a scale of 0-10.…”

“…Adjusted Score (0-100) is the total score multiplied by 2.38. In the assessment of the GPM, a score below 30 indicates mild pain, a score of 30 to 69 indicates moderate pain, and a score greater than or equal to 70 indicates severe pain [21][22][23][24][25]. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient for the total score of the Polish version of the scale was 0.83 [21].…”

Inappropriate Medications Use Among Elderly Patients in Babylon Province

“…Other variables evaluated were the number of hospitalizations in the previous 12 months, the number of drugs at admission (regular medication or before hospitalization), during hospitalization, and at discharge (or death) of the patient. For the evaluation of mental status, the Lobo cognitive mini-examination (12) was used; for the evaluation of activities of daily living (ADL), the Katz index and the COOP/WONCA score were used to qualify the quality of life and functional health evaluation (13) . If the patient had a sensory disorder or a Lobo cognitive mini-examination score less than 17, the COOP/WONCA score was made by the caregiver and, in the absence of the caregiver, the rating was made by the interviewing physician.…”