Instruments currently available measure intensity, behavioural and/or physiological phenomena associated with pain, and multiple dimensions of the experience of clinical pain (Pautex & Gold 2006). Important factors that the nurse must consider when selecting a measuring instrument are the various definitions of pain, the goals of the measurement problem and the type of pain being measured. Approaches to the measurement of pain include verbal and numeric self- rating scales, behavioural observation scales and physiolog- ical responses. The complex nature of the experience of painsuggests that measurements from these domains may not always show high concordance (Katz & Melzack 1999). Because pain is subjective, patients’ self-reports provide the tool on 11 January 2008 to use the tool in the most valid measure of the experience. The visual analogue scale (VAS), the verbal rating and the numerical rating scales (NRSs) are probably the most frequently used self-rating instruments for the measurement of pain intensity in clinical and research settings. However, they are not adequate tools to collect information on the affective component or other dimensions of the painful experience (Jensen et al. 1999, Williamson & Hoggart 2005). The complexity of assessing the sensation of pain has led to the development of multidimensional pain measures. From this aspect, the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) was one of the most widely used tests over the past 30 years, capable of assessing the sensory, affective and evaluative dimensions of pain (Jensen et al. 1986, Flaherty 1996). The MPQ provides the clinician and researcher with valuable information about the patients’ perception, reaction and cognition of their state, of importance when choosing adequate treatment modalities and assessing the effect of interventions (Melzack 1975, Lowe et al. 1991). However, sometimes the MPQ, including 76 descriptors, was not found feasible for clinical use. A Short-Form MPQ (SF-MPQ) was therefore developed (Melzack 1987) and recommended for use in specific research and clinical settings when the time to obtain information is limited (Melzack 2005).
The SF-MPQ was widely translated and used to assess the pain experience of several types of patients because it combines the properties of the standard MPQ but takes
substantially less time to administer (Dudgeon et al. 1993). It has been used in studies of both chronic pain and acute pain of diverse aetiology and to evaluate pain and
discomfort in response to medical interventions (Dudgeon et al. 1993, Khan & Apkarian 2002, Grafton et al. 2005, Yakut et al. 2007). A direct translation of questionnaires into other languages does not guarantee maintenance of validity (Aksayan & Gozum 2002). It is now recognised that if measures are to be used across cultures, the items
must not only be translated well linguistically, but also