Use of the visual analogue scale for health state valuation: a scoping review

Abstract

Objectives The visual analogue scale (VAS) has been used in the context of health and healthcare for various purposes, for example, to measure pain and to provide a single-index measure of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This scoping review aims to describe how the VAS has been used for health state valuation in the published literature. Methods The search was carried out in Medline, Web of Science and PsycInfo. The findings of the included articles were tabulated and presented descriptively using frequencies and proportions. Results The database search yielded 4856 unique articles, out of these, 308 were included. In 83% of the articles, the main purpose for using a VAS was to value health states. The two most common perspectives when valuing health states with a VAS were hypothetical (44%) and own health (34%). Some (n = 14) articles used the VAS in the context of economic evaluations, including calculating quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). A large variation in the design of the VAS was found, including the description of the lower and upper anchors. Advantages and disadvantages with using a VAS were mentioned in 14% of the included articles. Conclusion The VAS has been a common method for valuing health states, both as a stand-alone method and in combination with other valuation methods. Despite its widespread use, the design of the VAS has been inconsistent which makes comparison of results across studies challenging. Further research on the role of using the VAS in economic evaluations is warranted.

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“…The ODI score evaluated the patient's pain, ambulation, sleep, and social activities, with lower scores indicating lower levels of pain [43]. The Visual Analogue Score (VAS) score was used as one of the common measures of pain level, with lower scores indicating less subjective pain perception [44]. For the two outcome indicators, VAS-back pain and VAS-leg pain, several studies used a 0-10 scale, and several studies used a 100 scale, so we standardized the results using StdMD before analyzing.…”

A pilot study analyzing the influence of the material and the size of the orthodontic archwire on the level of pain and anxiety in adult patients in treatment with brackets: A prospective triple-blind randomized clinical trial

“…A 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to rate the level of pain experienced, with a score of 0 indicating “no pain” and a score of 10 indicating “maximum pain.” Patients had to describe their pain at baseline (T0) and one month after starting treatment (T1). At each moment of the evaluation, patients scored their pain on the visual analogue scale at baseline (T01 /T11), at 4 hours (T02/T12), at 24 hours (T03/ T13), and at 48 hours (T04/ T14) ( 11 ).…”

Design of a Self-Measuring Device Based on Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis for Regular Monitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…Blood tests primarily confirm disease activity by measuring CRP levels, with rheumatoid factor (RF) and ESR checked if necessary [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. The visual analog scale (VAS) represents the patient’s subjective perception of pain intensity and is used to assess conditions characterized by severe pain [ 29 ].…”