Fibroline: A mobile app for improving the quality of life of young people with fibromyalgia.

Fibroline is a mobile application with a self-administered cognitive behavioral treatment for young people with fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain, designed to reduce pain and other common negative symptoms and improve quality of life. Our aims are to report on the usability and feasibility protocols used to assess the app. Two usability cycles were implemented. A group of patients followed the cognitive behavioral treatment intervention to test its feasibility. Qualitative data were collected and content analyses were conducted. The results demonstrated that the app is error-free, easy to use, liked by the users, and acceptable.

On the electronic measurement of pain intensity: Can we use different pain intensity scales interchangeably?

The objective of this work was to study the agreement between four pain intensity scales when administered electronically: the Numerical Rating Scale-11, the Faces Pain Scale-Revised, the Visual Analogue Scale and the Coloured Analogue Scale. In all, 180 schoolchildren between 12 and 19 years old participated in the study. They had to report the maximum intensity of their most frequent pain using the electronic versions of the four scales. Agreement was calculated using the Bland-Altman method. Results show that the electronic versions of Numerical Rating Scale-11, Coloured Analogue Scale and Visual Analogue Scale can be used interchangeably.

AN APP for the Assessment of Pain Intensity: Validity Properties and Agreement of Pain Reports When Used with Young People.

OBJECTIVE: Painometer is a mobile application that includes four pain intensity scales: the Numerical Rating Scale, the Faces Pain Scale-Revised, the mechanical visual analogue scale and the Colored Analogue Scale. The aim of this study was to analyze the validity and agreement of the intensity reports provided by these scales and their traditional counterparts. METHODS: Participants were 180 young people (mean age = 14.88; SD= 1.64; age range: 12-19). They were asked to report the maximum intensity of their most frequent pain in the previous three months using traditional and electronic versions of the scales. They also reported their level of fatigue and pain catastrophizing. Construct validity was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and by convergent and discriminant validity. Criterion validity was assessed as concurrent validity. Agreement was calculated using the Bland and Altman method. Analyses were conducted for two confidence intervals (CI): 95% and 80%. RESULTS: CFA demonstrated that the four electronic versions of the scales measure a single factor. All the scales showed a) moderate to high convergent validity, b) adequate discriminant validity with fatigue ratings, and c) adequate concurrent validity with pain catastrophizing ratings. Results also show that traditional and electronic versions of the four scales are in agreement, at least at the 80% CI. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that pain intensity scores reported with the scales in Painometer are valid, and concordant with their traditional counterparts.

Agreement between verbal and electronic versions of the numerical rating scale (NRS-11) when used to assess pain intensity in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: Electronic pain measures are becoming common tools in the assessment of pediatric pain intensity. The aims of this study were (1) to examine the agreement between the verbal and the electronic versions of the 11-point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS-11) (vNRS-11 and eNRS-11, respectively) when used to assess pain intensity in adolescents; and (2) to report participants' preferences for each of the 2 alternatives. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 191 school children enrolled in grades 7 to 11 (mean age, 14.61; range, 12 to 18) participated. They were asked to report the highest intensity of the most frequent pain that they had experienced during the last 3 months using both the vNRS-11 and the eNRS-11. Agreement analyses were carried out using: (1) the Bland-Altman method, with confidence intervals (CI) of both 95% and 80%, and a maximum limit of agreement of ±1; and (2) weighted intrarater κ-coefficients between the ratings for each participant on the vNRS-11 and eNRS-11. RESULTS: The limits of agreement at 95% fell outside the limit established a priori (scores ranged from -1.42 to 1.69), except for participants in grade 11 (-0.80, 0.88). Meanwhile, the limits of agreement at 80% CI fell inside the maximum limit established a priori (scores ranged from -0.88 to 0.94), except for participants in grade 8 (Supplemental Digital Content 2, http://links.lww.com/CJP/A97) (-0.88, 1.16). The κ-coefficients ranged from 0.786 to 0.912, indicating "almost perfect" agreement. A total of 83% of participants preferred the eNRS-11. DISCUSSION: Pain intensity ratings on the vNRS-11 and eNRS-11 seem to be comparable, at least for the 80% CI.

Development and testing of painometer: a smartphone app to assess pain intensity.

UNLABELLED: Electronic and information technologies are increasingly being used to assess pain. This study aims to 1) introduce Painometer, a smartphone app that helps users to assess pain intensity, and 2) report on its usability (ie, user performance and satisfaction) and acceptability (ie, the willingness to use it) when it is made available to health care professionals and nonprofessionals. Painometer includes 4 well-known pain intensity scales: the Faces Pain Scale-Revised, the numerical rating scale-11, the Coloured Analogue Scale, and the visual analog scale. Scores reported with these scales, when used in their traditional format, have shown to be valid and reliable. The app was tested in a sample of 24 health care professionals and 30 nonprofessionals. Two iterative usability cycles were conducted with a qualitative usability testing approach and a semistructured interview. The participants had an average of 10 years' experience in using computers. The domains measured were ease of use, errors in usage, most popular characteristics, suggested changes, and acceptability. Adding instructions and changing format and layout details solved the usability problems reported in cycle 1. No further problems were reported in cycle 2. Painometer has been found to be a useful, user-friendly app that may help to improve the accuracy of pain intensity assessment. PERSPECTIVE: Painometer, a smartphone app to assess pain intensity, shows good usability and acceptability properties when used by health care professionals and nonprofessionals.

MREPATT: detection and analysis of exact consecutive repeats in genomic sequences.

UNLABELLED: We have developed a program to determine the number, length and position of exact consecutive repeats of short sequences in DNA fragments or whole genomes. The program also gives the statistical significance of results by comparing them with those expected for a random sequence generated according to a Markovian model. AVAILABILITY: MREPATT can be accessed on line at http://www.lsi.upc.es/~alggen under the RESEARCH and SEARCH links.