• Margo Halm, Christie Bailey, Jeanne St Pierre, Nancy Boutin, Susan Rojo, Melissa Shortt, Lisa Theobald, and Elena Pettycrew.
• Author Affiliations: Previous Director of Nursing Research, Professional Practice & Magnet (Dr Halm), Nursing Volunteer EBP Council (Dr Bailey), Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (Ms St Pierre), Palliative Care Director (Dr Boutin), Clinical Nurse (Ms Rojo), Assistant Nurse Manager (Ms Shortt), Clinical Nurse (Ms Theobald), and Assistant Nurse Manager (Ms Pettycrew), Salem Health Hospitals and Clinics, Salem, Oregon.
• Clin Nurse Spec. 2019 Jan 1; 33 (1): 12-21.

Purpose/AimsCommon pain assessment tools measure intensity, ignoring other dimensions of pain like function. The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of a newly developed functional pain assessment scale (FPAS) for use in clinical practice.Design/MethodsIn this descriptive correlational study, an FPAS was developed and then evaluated against 2 validated pain tools in 68 hospitalized adult patients experiencing acute and/or chronic pain. These tools included the numeric pain rating scale and a 100-mm visual analog scale.ResultsThe FPAS was significantly correlated (ρ = 0.72-0.87; P < .001) with the numeric pain rating scale and visual analog scale in cognitively intact patients but not the cognitively impaired (ρ = 0.22-0.34; P > .05). Test-retest reliability coefficients for the 3 scales were high (ρ = 0.82-0.94; P < .001), demonstrating stability of the measures. Overall, patients preferred the FPAS; this preference was significantly greater in patients older than 40 years.ConclusionsThis pilot study provided support for the reliability and validity of the FPAS in cognitively intact patients experiencing pain. Although more research is needed, clinicians may consider using the FPAS with cognitively intact adults to assess the functional impact of pain on pain intensity. Clinical nurse specialists play a pivotal role in role modeling and guiding the introduction and testing of new assessment approaches into clinical practice settings across the continuum of care.

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