Short-term Variability in Outpatient Pain Intensity Scores in a National Sample of Older Veterans with Chronic Pain

Abstract: Pain numeric rating scale (NRS) are often used to gather pain intensity information from veterans at outpatient appointments.Yet, little is known about how NRS scores may vary over time within individuals; NRS variability may have important ramifications for treatment planning. This retrospective cohort study describes variability in NRS scores within a one-month timeframe, as obtained during routine outpatient care in older patients with chronic pain treated in Veterans Affairs hospitals. The majority of patients in the sample had clinically meaningful variation in pain scores within a given month. This finding highlights the need for clinicians and their patients to consider multiple NRS scores when making chronic pain treatment decisions.