Are Ecological Momentary Assessments of Pain Valid and Reliable? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the level of evidence for the psychometric properties of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in populations with persistent pain.Materials and Methods: Five databases were searched from 1980 to December 2021. Two reviewers independently screened the titles, abstracts, and full text, extracted data, and assessed adherence to reporting standards and methodological rigor before evaluating the quality of evidence. A meta-analysis, including the pooling of correlations for the relevant EMA pain outcomes, was completed.

Activity-related pain and sensitization predict within- and between-person pain experience in people with knee osteoarthritis: An ecological momentary assessment study

“…However, solely considering recalled averages has the potential to overlook the dynamic, fluctuating nature of symptoms in individuals with painful knee OA [ 10 , 11 ]. An assessment method that may better and more accurately capture the knee OA pain experience is Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) [ 12 , 13 ]. A defining characteristic of this research method is that measures are repeated multiple times daily to reveal patterns of transient, fluctuating symptoms such as pain, fatigue and mood in real-time, real-life contexts [ 10 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Experiences and Perceptions of Using Smartphone Ecological Momentary Assessment for Reporting Knee Osteoarthritis Pain and Symptoms

“…7,8 An assessment method that may better capture the range of biopsychosocial symptoms involved in the knee OA pain experience is EMA. [9][10][11] EMA allows researchers to examine variable symptoms and experiences in real time and real life. 12 A defining characteristic of this research method is that measures are repeated multiple times daily over a set period.…”

“…9,10 Strengths of EMA include its ability to reduce recall bias and offer greater ecological validity with measurement occurring in the environment and context of patients' lives. [9][10][11] Furthermore, as EMA involves repeated measures, within-person relationships between different symptoms can be assessed. 12 EMA involves a number of design considerations that are made by the research team when planning a study.…”

“…An assessment method that may better capture the range of biopsychosocial symptoms involved in the knee OA pain experience is EMA 9–11 . EMA allows researchers to examine variable symptoms and experiences in real time and real life 12 .…”

“…Therefore, EMA can reveal the patterns of transient, fluctuating symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and mood in real time 9,10 . Strengths of EMA include its ability to reduce recall bias and offer greater ecological validity with measurement occurring in the environment and context of patients’ lives 9–11 . Furthermore, as EMA involves repeated measures, within-person relationships between different symptoms can be assessed 12 …”