ScholarWorks > HHS > OT > OJOT > Vol. 13 > Iss. 2 (2025)
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Renske MJ Janssen (MSc), Jos IJspeert (MSc), Jan T Groothuis (MD PhD), Nens van Alfen (MD PhD), Alexander CH Geurts (MD PhD), Maud JL Graff (PhD), Tanya L Packer (PhD), Edith HC Cup (PhD)
Abstract
Background: Patients with neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) often experience limitations in daily activities because of pain and fatigue. Visual analogue graphs with a 24-hour x-axis can be used to rate pain and fatigue severity during a typical day. This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of the visual analogue graphs in patients with NA.
Method: Eight patients completed pain and fatigue graphs on three moments to examine inter-rater and test-retest reliability using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs). Concurrent validity (n = 47) was tested by determining correlations between mean pain graph scores and numerical rating scale for pain (NRS-pain) and between mean fatigue graph scores and checklist individual strength-subscale fatigue (CIS-fatigue).
Results: ICC for test-retest reliability varied from 0.72– 0.93 for pain and 0.67–0.85 for fatigue scores. ICC for inter-rater reliability varied from 0.76–0.97 for pain and 0.47–0.97 for fatigue scores. Correlation between the mean pain graph score and NRS-pain was strong (rs = 0.75, ps = 0.42, p = 0.003).
Conclusion: The visual analogue graph for pain appears reliable and valid in patients with NA. Test-retest reliability and concurrent validity for the fatigue graph warrant further research.
Recommended Citation
Janssen, R. M., Ijspeert, J., Groothuis, J. T., van Alfen, N., Geurts, A. C., Graff, M. J., Packer, T. L., & Cup, E. H. (2025). Patient-Generated Graphs to Measure Pain and Fatigue in Persons with Neuralgic Amyotrophy. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 13(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.2258
Comments
The authors declare that they have no competing financial, professional, or personal interest that might have influenced the performance or presentation of the work described in this manuscript.