Cognitive Testing of PAIN Report It-Spanish in Monolingual Hispanic Adults.

BACKGROUND

A Spanish language computerized tool would facilitate cancer pain assessment and management for the underserved population of native Spanish speakers who do not speak or lack command of the English language.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to identify Spanish-speaking adults' understanding and interpretation of the PAIN Report It-Spanish items and instructions as well as translation and technical issues.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, 20 mostly monolingual Spanish-speaking adults engaged in 1.5- to 2-hour, audio-recorded cognitive interviews as they completed the multidimensional PAIN Report It-Spanish. Three bilingual researchers conducted content data analysis.

RESULTS

Sixteen women and 4 men generally understood the translated text, but some had interpretation issues regarding the 0 to 10 number scale and understanding of the pain quality descriptors. Many participants found the program easy to complete, even when they had problems in some areas. Most participants welcomed the opportunity to report pain in their native language and appreciated research to help Hispanics with the management of their pain.

CONCLUSION

PAIN Report It-Spanish is a valid tool to assess pain in a Spanish-speaking population. Improved orientation to the pain reporting tasks and alternate translations for several problematic/confusing Spanish words require additional study, especially among underrepresented black Hispanics and males.

IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE

Findings indicate that Spanish-speaking adults (1) easily use a body outline to report their pain location, (2) may use a 0 to 10 scale differently than other individuals, and (3) may have a limited repertoire of pain quality and pattern descriptors.