Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada.
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
J Feline Med Surg. 2024 Oct;26(10):1098612X241275284. doi: 10.1177/1098612X241275284.
The aim of the study was to determine the effects of training on inter-rater reliability and agreement of Feline Grimace Scale (FGS) scoring by small animal practitioners.
Seven small animal veterinarians were asked to score a total of 50 images of cats in varying degrees of pain before and after training in FGS scoring. Participant scores were compared with those of an expert rater. Inter-rater reliability was analyzed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) before and after training (ICC <0.50 = poor reliability, 0.50-0.75 = moderate reliability, 0.76-0.90 = good reliability and >0.90 = excellent reliability). The Bland-Altman method was used to analyze the limits of agreement (LoAs) and bias between participants and the expert rater.
After training, the ICC classification improved for each action unit (ear position, orbital tightening, muzzle tension, whiskers change and head position). The inter-rater reliability for the total FGS ratio scores before and after the FGS training session was moderate (ICC = 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.83) and good (ICC = 0.80; 95% CI 0.73-0.87), respectively. Before training, LoAs were -0.277 to 0.310 with a bias of 0.016. After training, LoAs were -0.237 to 0.255 with a bias of 0.008. The bias was low (<0.1) both before and after training and LoAs did not span the FGS analgesic threshold (0.39).
Training in FGS scoring improved inter-rater reliability and agreement among seven small animal veterinarians and the veterinarians' skills in pain assessment.
本研究旨在确定培训对小型动物从业者进行猫面部表情评分（FGS）时的评分者间可靠性和一致性的影响。
在培训 FGS 评分之前和之后，要求 7 名小型动物兽医对 50 张不同疼痛程度的猫的图像进行评分。将参与者的评分与专家评分者的评分进行比较。使用组内相关系数（ICC）分析培训前后的评分者间可靠性（ICC<0.50=可靠性差，0.50-0.75=可靠性中等，0.76-0.90=可靠性良好，>0.90=可靠性优秀）。使用 Bland-Altman 法分析参与者与专家评分者之间的一致性界限（LoA）和偏差。
培训后，每个动作单元（耳朵位置、眼眶紧绷、口鼻紧张、胡须变化和头部位置）的 ICC 分类均有所改善。FGS 培训前后，FGS 总比值评分的评分者间可靠性为中度（ICC=0.75；95%置信区间[CI]0.66-0.83）和良好（ICC=0.80；95% CI 0.73-0.87）。培训前，LoA 为-0.277 至 0.310，偏差为 0.016。培训后，LoA 为-0.237 至 0.255，偏差为 0.008。培训前后的偏差均较低（<0.1），且 LoA 未跨越 FGS 镇痛阈值（0.39）。
FGS 评分培训提高了 7 名小型动物兽医之间的评分者间可靠性和一致性，以及兽医的疼痛评估技能。
