Validazione della versione italiana del brief pain inventory nei pazienti con dolore cronico

Background. The purpose of this study has been the validation of an Italian version of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Breve Questionario per la valutazione del Dolore (BQVD), in patients with chronic pain not-caused by neoplastic illness. Methods. The analysis has been proposed to 113 patients affected by different kinds of chronic pain of non-neoplastic origin while hospitalized, both as outpatients or as inpatients. The descriptive analysis of the specimen and of each item of the BPI has been carried out. Moreover, the psychometric characteristics of the analysis, intended as an instrument to describe intensity of pain and its interference in the various aspects of life have been investigated, evaluating with factorial analysis its validity both as a construct, and its internal coherence calculating the Cronbach's alpha of the whole instrument and of each identifier with factorial analysis. Results. From the factorial analysis emerged a frame with three factors that have been identified as Pain intensity, Pain interference in emotional sphere and Interference in working activities. Conclusions. The Brief Pain Inventory can be considered a suitable useful instrument in the global evaluation of patients affected by chronic pain since its allows a contemporaneous analysis of three factors that characterize the phenomenon and contribute equally in defining the various facet of the pain universe. The Italian version of the BPI may be included in the essential evaluation instruments in the diagnosis and therapy of chronic pain.