Scale Analysis

It is a tool used to quantify the perceived location, type, and intensity of pain. It was developed by Dr. Melzack at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Objective

This questionnaire can be used to monitor pain over time and to determine the effectiveness of any intervention.

Question Calibration

The structure of the questionnaire is based on the three dimensions of pain: sensory-discriminative, affective-motivational, and cognitive-evaluative. The questions included are not graded on a specific scale but are answered according to what each person feels.

Statistical Analysis

The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) consists of 78 descriptive words that characterize pain, which are grouped, and the patient selects from each group the word that best describes their pain and rates it from 0–3, where “0 = no pain” and “3 = severe pain.” The total score is considered an indicator of pain assessment.

Validity and Reliability

It is used to assess both acute and chronic pain with good results. It requires good cooperation with the patient, and it is considered advisable to ask the patient whether they understood the meaning of the words presented to them. The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), through its multidimensional assessment of pain, provides quantified measures of clinical pain that can be used for statistical purposes. It has been adapted into Greek by K. Mystakidou, E. Parpa, E. Tsilika, O. Kalidopoulou, S. Georgaki, A. Galanos, and L. Vlachos.

Bibliography

Author: Melzack R. The McGill Pain Questionnaire: major properties and scoring methods. Pain 1975;1: 277–99.
Translation: K. Mystakidou, E. Parpa, E. Tsilika, O. Kalidopoulou, S. Georgaki, A. Galanos, and L. Vlachos
Tags: McGill Pain Questionnaire [MPQ], reliability, validity