Validation and reliability of a scale for prolonged pain assessment in Brazilian neonates.

UNLABELLED

To evaluate the convergent construct validity, intra- and inter-rater reliability, and internal consistency of the COMFORTneo-Brazil scale.

STUDY DESIGN

The study included neonates between 24 and 42 weeks of gestational age. Convergent construct validity was analyzed by comparing COMFORTneo-Brazil scores with those from the Échelle Douleur Inconfort Nouveau-Né (EDIN) scale. Two trained raters performed bedside evaluations and video assessments, separated by 10-14 days, to assess intra- and inter-rater reliability. Spearman's correlation, linear weighted kappa, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman plots, and Cronbach's alpha were used in the analysis.

RESULTS

One hundred and thirty-three evaluations were conducted. There was excellent convergent validity between COMFORTneo-Brazil and EDIN scores (rho = 0.929; p < 0.001). The COMFORTneo-Brazil demonstrated excellent intra- and inter-rater reliability (ICC > 0.9). Internal consistency was also high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.858).

CONCLUSIONS

The COMFORTneo-Brazil is a valid and reliable tool for prolonged pain assessment in neonates.