Analysis and Purpose of the Questionnaire

The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) is a tool used to quantify the perceived location, type, and intensity of pain. It was developed by Dr. Ronald Melzack at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. This questionnaire can be used to monitor pain over time and to determine the effectiveness of any intervention.

Question Scoring

The structure of the MPQ is based on the three dimensions of pain: sensory-discriminative, affective-motivational, and cognitive-evaluative. The questions included are not rated on a typical scale but are answered based on the subjective experience of each individual respondent.

Statistical Analysis

The McGill Pain Questionnaire consists of 78 descriptive words that characterize pain. These words are grouped, and the patient selects the word from each group that best describes their pain and rates it from 0 to 3, where “0 = no pain” and “3 = severe pain.” The total score is considered an index for pain evaluation.

Validity and Reliability

The questionnaire is used to assess both acute and chronic pain with reliable results. It requires good cooperation from the patient, and it is considered important to ask whether the patient understood the meaning of the words presented. Through its multidimensional assessment of pain, the MPQ provides quantified measures of clinical pain, which can also be used for statistical purposes. The McGill Pain Questionnaire has been adapted into Greek by K. Mystakidou, E. Parpa, E. Tsilika, O. Kalaidopoulou, S. Georgaki, A. Galanos, and L. Vlachos.

References

Melzack, R., & Raja, S. N. (2005). The McGill Pain Questionnaire: From Description to Measurement. The Journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, 103(1), 199–202.
Translation: K. Mystakidou, E. Parpa, E. Tsilika, O. Kalaidopoulou, S. Georgaki, A. Galanos, and L. Vlachos