Two separate studies were carried out to determine if three visual analogue scales for various feelings including pain could be marked consistently by patients, without reference to previously completed scales. Sixty patients undergoing extraction of their lower third molars had measurements of acute preoperative anxiety, expected postoperative pain and postoperative perceived pain three times ...

An important component of effective postoperative pain management is a measure of the patient's pain intensity. This article examines three unidimensional pain measurement instruments and one multidimensional pain measurement instrument used in daily practice and clinical research. The strengths and weaknesses of the numerical rating scale, verbal descriptor scale, visual analogue scale, and th...