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Objectives:

To determine:(1) the psychometric properties and utility of 5 types of commonly used pain rating scales when used with younger and older adults,(2) factors related to failure to successfully use a pain rating scale,(3) pain rating scale preference, and (4) factors impacting scale preference.

Methods:

A quasi-experimental design was used to gather data from a sample of 86 younger (age 25–55) and 89 older (age 65–94) adult volunteer subjects. Responses of subjects to experimentally induced thermal stimuli were measured with the following pain intensity rating scales: vertical visual analog scale (VAS), 21-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Verbal Descriptor Scale (VDS), 11-point Verbal Numeric Rating Scale (VNS), and Faces Pain Scale (FPS).

Results:

All 5 pain scales were effective in discriminating different levels of pain sensation; however the VDS was most sensitive and reliable. Failure rates for …