Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC-T)

Background/aim: This study aimed to assess validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC-T).

Materials and methods: The individuals who met inclusion criteria of the study were in patients of a hospital and a long-term care facility. Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE), Cornell Dementia Depression Scale (CDDS), Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), visual analogue scale (VAS), and PACSLAC-T were administered to all subjects. The scales were repeated with an interval of two weeks for test–retest reliability.

Results: A total of 112 patients with dementia were included in the study. The intraclass correlation coefficient ICC for test–retest reliability of the PACSLAC-T was 0.713 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.486–0.843. The Cronbach’s α coefficient for total PACSLAC-T was 0.842 for test and 0.888 for retest, which indicated substantial internal consistency. In convergent validity, there were significant correlations between PACSLAC-T total score VAS (r = 0.684, P < 0.001), while no correlation was found between PACSLAC-T total score and CDDS (r = 0.127, P = 0.094), and GDS (r = 0.096, P = 0.167). Also, significant correlations were found between PACSLAC-T total score and MMSE (r = –0.468, P = 0.016).

Conclusion: This study showed that PACSLAC-T could be a promising tool for the management of pain in older adults with limited communication skills.