Background:

Geriatric patients present progressive difficult to assess pain. Getting a precise parameter to approach postsurgical pain is a very important issue.

Objective:

To explore Faces Pain Scale (EFD) validity in geriatric post-surgical patients.

Method:

Comparative, observational, prolective study in patients from a second level attention unit. Phase 1: faces were disorderly presented to ≥ 60 years old persons, Glasgow scale scored 15, signed authorization, to place them in ascending order. Phase 2: ≥ 60 years old patients, any sex, who received any surgical procedure, Glasgow scale scored 15, signed authorization were recruited. Those who did not cooperate/complete scales application were eliminated. Numeral Visual Scale (EVN) and 5 minutes after EFD were applied to each patient, before analgesia, and again 30 minutes after analgesia. Descriptive statistical data, effect-size, Student paired-t and Spearman tests were used.

Results:

Phase 1: every face was correctly placed (75-100%). Phase 2: 142 patients participated, 76 (53.5%) male, 66 (46.5%) female. Pre-analgesia media scores: EFDA 3.4, EVN 7.9; post-analgesia media scores: EFD 1.8, EVN 4.8. EFD effect-size test scored 2.389, paired-t scored 17.231 (p < 0.002); Spearman scores: 0.654 (p = 0.016) pre-analgesia, 0.798 (p = 0.004) post-analgesia.

Conclusion:

EFD is a valid scale to evaluate postoperative pain intensity in geriatric patients.

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