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. 2017 Sep/Oct;40(5):357-363.
doi: 10.1097/SGA.0000000000000210.

The Gastrointestinal Pain Pointer: A Valid and Innovative Method to Assess Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Wendy A Henderson  1 , Bridgett Rahim-Williams, Kevin H Kim, LeeAnne B Sherwin, Sarah K Abey, Angela C Martino, Nicolaas H Fourie, Margaret M Heitkemper, Anthony P Zuccolotto
Affiliations

The Gastrointestinal Pain Pointer: A Valid and Innovative Method to Assess Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Wendy A Henderson et al. Gastroenterol Nurs. 2017 Sep/Oct.

Abstract

Abdominal pain is a chronic condition experienced by approximately 20% of individuals in the United States. The purpose of the study was to assess the validity of the Gastrointestinal Pain Pointer as a measure of abdominal pain intensity. A prospective longitudinal time-series study design was utilized. The sample included 93 outpatients (58.1% female). Participants met Rome III criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (n = 32) or were healthy controls (n = 61). The Gastrointestinal Pain Pointer, a new electronic pain assessment tool, was used to assess self-reported abdominal pain intensity among participants before and after ingestion of an intestinal permeability test solution across 11 time points over a 5-hour time period. The results were compared with the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. The Gastrointestinal Pain Pointer was found to be valid in the assessment of abdominal pain intensity. The tool is a novel and valid measure of abdominal pain intensity that enhances the ability for clinicians to better quantify, in real time, patient-related pain outcomes for both clinical care and research.

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Conflict of interest statement

The Gastrointestinal Pain Pointer is a research assessment tool and is not approved as a medical device. Employee Invention Report #NR-002, PHS E-175–2010 (Dr. Wendy A. Henderson) licensing available with Psychology Software Tools, Inc. Mr. Anthony Zuccolotto of Psychology Software Tools, Inc. discloses employee and stock ownership. Please note, Dr. Kevin H. Kim is deceased (2014), and the enclosed work and approval for publication of the manuscript occurred prior to his death. The remaining authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
The Gastrointestinal Pain Pointer. Developed by Henderson & Zuccolotto, Public Health Service Invention #E-175-2010.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
McGill Pain Questionnaire, example of marked and measured visual analog pain intensity rating scale. © Copyright 1984. Reprinted with permission from Dr. R. Melzack.
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.
Scatterplot of GIPP by SF-MPQ pain intensity scores. GIPP = Gastrointestinal Pain Pointer; SF-MPQ = Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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