Abstract
Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate reproducibility and
practicality of the German version of the Glasgow composite measured pain scale
– feline, during its implementation into a German veterinary
hospital.
Material and methods The study comprised of 2 parts. Participation of
veterinary professionals was voluntary. During part 1, 15 staff members (all
rater=AR) with variable clinical experience (nurses, interns, junior
clinician, senior clinicians), from 4 disciplines (anesthesia, internal
medicine, surgery, neurology), and one main investigator (AC), pain scored 45
diseased cats and 10 healthy cats. Part 2 was an online survey, evaluating the
practical experience of participants during part 1 and asking for suggestions to
improve the scale and process of pain assessment. For part 1 normal distribution
of data was tested by Shapiro-Wilk-Test and histograms. Intrarater and
interrater reliability were evaluated by calculating the intraclass-correlation.
Statistical analysis of part 2 used descriptive methods.
Results The interrater reliability was moderate (ICC
AR
:
0.59) and the intrarater reliability was good (ICC
AC
: 0.88).
The pain scores of cats with medical (AR: 3.06±2.33, AC
3.52±2.34) and surgical disease (AR: 3.78±2.38, AC:
4.02±2.72) showed no significant difference. All healthy cats were
classified as “not painful” (AR: 0.77±0.67, AC:
1.09±0.83). Clinical experience of the rater did not significantly
influence pain scores. The GCMPS-F was judged as easy to use and as helpful tool
for cats with unclear pain conditions.
Conclusion The GCMPS-F had a good acceptance and moderate interrater
reliability.
Clinical Relevance Using the German version of the GCMPS-F, veterinary
professionals from different disciplines and with different grades of
specialisation can reliably assess pain levels in cats without prior extensive
training.
Key words Pain scale - cat - pain - pain assessment - GCMPS-F
