Assessing pain behavior: the UAB Pain Behavior Scale

Abstract

Review of the chronic pain literature reveals that there have been few systematic attempts to devise rating scales which reliably and/or validly quantify pain behavior. The UAB Pain Behavior Scale was designed so that it could be administered rapidly by a variety of pain team personnel without sacrificing interrater reliability. The scale is described along with initial reliability and validity data. A summary of its use with chronic pain patients is presented.