Does the clinically significant difference in visual analog scale pain scores vary with gender, age, or cause of pain?

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the minimum clinically significant difference in visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores for acute pain in the ED setting and to determine whether this difference varies with gender, age, or cause of pain. Methods: A prospective, descriptive study of 152 adult patients presenting to the ED with acute pain. At presentation and at 20-minute intervals to a maximum of three measurements, patients marked the level of their pain on a 100-mm, nonhatched VAS. At each follow-up they also gave a verbal rating of their pain as 'a lot better,' 'much the same,' 'a little worse,' or 'much worse.' The minimum clinically significant difference in VAS pain scores was defined as the mea..