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Incorrect
This
rating scale is measuring only one dimension of the patient's
symptoms -- severity. Unidimensional visual analogue or
Likert-type scales are popular methods for obtaining a quick "biopsy"
of symptom severity both in clinical as well as research settings.
For example, pain assessment has been recommended as a fifth "vital
sign" by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Hospitals,
which has suggested a 10-point scale for quantifying pain. However,
there are several other dimensions to pain.
A second dimension
is temporal: how often do the patient's symptoms occur
and, if they come in episodes (rather than being continuous),
how long do episodes last. For example, a patient with migraine
headaches may have spells that are just as severe in intensity
when they occur, but prophylactic medication may reduce the number
or duration of episodes.
A third dimension
is degree of impairment or disability. An individual may
continue to have migraine headaches at a similar intensity, frequency
and duration but with accommodation, pain coping strategies, or
specific treatments, be able to work or continue other activities
during the headache episodes where originally he or she was bedridden
or at least partially incapacitated. In fact, some researchers
have found pain disability is a more powerful correlate of symptom
burden than pain severity.
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