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Behavioral Assessment of Pain Screening Instrument (BAPSI)
The patient was administered the Behavioral Assessment of Pain Screening Instrument (BAPSI) to evaluate his/her level of pain-related disability, psychological distress, and pain intensity. It is well known that these factors increase with time following the onset of pain and that clinicians cannot always reliably detect their presence without using assessment tools like the BAPSI. A more precise understanding of the patients level of disability, psychological distress, activity limitation, and pain intensity is important. Research suggests that patients who are severely disabled by their pain or report high levels of psychological distress are more difficult to treat and do not respond well to somatic treatment modalities alone. The BAPSI should be viewed as a component of a comprehensive assessment protocol and cannot be judged definitively. The results of the BAPSI need to be combined with additional data drawn from the clinical interview and other assessment devices. The BAPSI should be used as an initial screening instrument to assist in treatment planning and to measure treatment progress and outcome.
Population
The BAPSI is used with medical patients whose primary complaint is persistent, nonmalignant pain associated with emotional and behavioral debilitation (e.g., chronic lumbar pain). Patients must be able to read and understand English or Spanish at the 7th to 8th grade reading level. Patients also need to be cognitively intact, have sufficient stamina and concentration, and capable of making simple pencil marks, of which the latter may not be required if the test is read to them.
Purpose
The BAPSI is used to screen for global disability and psychological distress.
Level I Requirements
The BAPSI is a brief measure of pain-related disability. Three psychological/behavioral factors are measured including global disability, psychological distress (combined depression and anxiety score), and pain intensity. The BAPSI is similar to other instruments that are used in the field of pain management, such as the Rolands Disability Questionnaire for lower back pain. The BAPSI is used to assist in treatment planning and to measure treatment progress and outcome. The BAPSI is self-report. Percentile scores based on a sub-acute and chronic pain population are available for comparison. Administration time is approximately 3 minutes.