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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Development and Preliminary Validation of an Equine Brief Pa...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2024; 14(2); doi: 10.3390/ani14020181

Development and Preliminary Validation of an Equine Brief Pain Inventory for Owner Assessment of Chronic Pain Due to Osteoarthritis in Horses.

Abstract: An owner-completed questionnaire was designed to monitor the level of chronic pain and impact on quality of life in horses with osteoarthritis (OA). A standardized approach to develop and validate subjective-state scales for clinical use was followed. Scale items were generated through literature review, focus group meetings, and expert panel evaluation. The draft tool was tested for reading level and language ambiguity and piloted in 25 owners/caregivers of horses with osteoarthritis, with factor analysis performed on responses. The resulting revised questionnaire is currently undergoing validation in a larger sample population of 60 OA and 20 sound control horses. In the pilot group, 21 people (84%) found the questionnaire easy to complete and 22 people (88%) found it useful. It could be completed within 5 min by all participants. Readability scores (Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid grade level, SMOG index) indicated an English language reading level comparable to that of 6th to 7th grade in the U.S. system (age 11-12 years). Cronbach's alpha of all items in the tool was 0.957, indicating excellent inter-item correlation. Interim analysis for 23 OA horses from the sample population showed good test-retest reliability and higher scores compared to 5 control horses. Full validation must be completed for the instrument to be used in clinical practice.
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Publication Date: 2024-01-05 PubMed ID: 38254349PubMed Central: PMC10812429DOI: 10.3390/ani14020181Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The researchers have developed a horse owner completed questionnaire for assessing chronic pain levels and its impact on the life quality of horses suffering from osteoarthritis. The preliminary results are promising and the tool is currently being validated with a larger sample size.

Design and Development of the Questionnaire

  • The researchers developed a questionnaire for horse owners or caregivers to record and monitor levels of chronic pain in horses suffering from osteoarthritis (OA), a chronic affliction leading to stiffness, lameness, and a diminished quality of life.
  • To ensure accuracy and clinical relevancy, the researchers followed a strict protocol: they reviewed literature on similar questionnaires, collected opinions and experiences during focus group meetings, and consulted experts in veterinary care.
  • The questionnaire underwent initial testing for readability and ambiguity of language.

Preliminary Testing and Results

  • The researchers piloted the draft tool with a sample group of 25 owners or caregivers of horses with osteoarthritis.
  • The responses relative to each item (or question) on the draft questionnaire were subjected to statistical analysis (factor analysis) to test the consistency and reliability of the tool.
  • Over 80% of the participants found the questionnaire easy to fill out and useful.
  • All participants could complete the form in less than 5 minutes.
  • The readability tests indicated that understanding the questionnaire required an English reading level comparable to a 6th to 7th grader in the United States education system.

Inter-Item Correlation and Test-Retest Reliability

  • A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.957 indicated excellent inter-item correlation for all items on the tool – that is, each item on the questionnaire consistently measured the same concept (chronic pain).
  • In the interim analysis of 23 horses with OA, the questionnaire showed a good test-retest reliability, meaning that the tool produced consistent results over time when repeated on the same subjects.
  • The questionnaire assigned higher scores to horses with osteoarthritis compared to control horses, confirming its potential to differentiate between OA and healthy horses.

Further Validation and Future Steps

  • The revised questionnaire is currently being tested on a larger sample population, 60 horses with OA and 20 healthy control horses to determine its validity.
  • The researchers affirm that a thorough validation is necessary before the tool can be recommended for use in clinical practice.

Cite This Article

APA
Howard DL, Lancaster B, de Grauw J. (2024). Development and Preliminary Validation of an Equine Brief Pain Inventory for Owner Assessment of Chronic Pain Due to Osteoarthritis in Horses. Animals (Basel), 14(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020181

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 14
Issue: 2

Researcher Affiliations

Howard, Diane L
  • Independent Researcher, 01710 Thoiry, France.
Lancaster, Bryony
  • The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK.
de Grauw, Janny
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
  • Department of Clinical Sciences and Services, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK.

Grant Funding

  • D21EQ-508 / Morris Animal Foundation

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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