BACKGROUND Several tools can provide a reliable and accurate evaluation of pruritus, including the visual analog scale (VAS), numeric rating scale (NRS), verbal rating scale (VRS), and multidimensional questionnaires such as the Itch Severity Scale (ISS). However, no single method is considered a gold standard. OBJECTIVE We evaluated the validity and reliability of VAS, NRS, VRS, and ISS and their correlation with a pruritus-specific quality of life instrument, ItchyQoL. METHODS A total of 419 patients (215 men and 204 women) with chronic pruritus (mean age, 46.58 years) recorded their pruritus intensity on VAS, NRS, VRS, and ISS. Retest reliability was analyzed in a second assessment 3 hours after the initial assessment. All participants answered ItchyQoL. RESULTS A strong correlation between VAS, NRS, and VRS was found. ISS showed a low intercorrelation validity with these tools. However, ISS was more strongly correlated with ItchyQoL. The retest reliability scores were similar for VAS, NRS, and VRS but lower than the scores obtained for ISS. LIMITATIONS Limitations include patient heterogeneity and recall bias. CONCLUSION The assessment of pruritus is challenging because of the subjective symptoms and the multifactorial nature. Therefore, more studies are needed to determine the best strategy to assess itch intensity.

中文翻译：

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成人瘙痒瘙痒评估量表的有效性和可靠性：一项前瞻性多中心研究。

背景技术几种工具可以提供对瘙痒症的可靠且准确的评估，包括视觉模拟量表（VAS），数字评分量表（NRS），口头评分量表（VRS）和多维调查表，例如瘙痒严重程度量表（ISS）。但是，没有任何一种方法被视为黄金标准。目的我们评估了VAS，NRS，VRS和ISS的有效性和可靠性，以及它们与瘙痒症特定生活质量工具ItchyQoL的相关性。方法共有419名患者（215名男性和204名女性）患有慢性瘙痒症（平均年龄46.58岁），并通过VAS，NRS，VRS和ISS记录了他们的瘙痒强度。初次评估后3小时，在第二次评估中分析了重新测试的可靠性。所有参与者都回答了ItchyQoL。结果发现VAS，NRS和VRS之间存在很强的相关性。ISS显示这些工具的相关性较低。但是，ISS与ItchyQoL的相关性更强。VAS，NRS和VRS的重测可靠性得分相似，但低于ISS的得分。局限性局限性包括患者的异质性和召回偏见。结论由于主观症状和多因素因素，瘙痒症的评估具有挑战性。因此，需要更多的研究来确定评估瘙痒强度的最佳策略。结论由于主观症状和多因素因素，瘙痒症的评估具有挑战性。因此，需要更多的研究来确定评估瘙痒强度的最佳策略。结论由于主观症状和多因素因素，瘙痒症的评估具有挑战性。因此，需要更多的研究来确定评估瘙痒强度的最佳策略。