Evaluation of the UNESP - Botucatu Short-form for pain assessment in cats by a naive observer

• Grant number: 19/14776-7
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Animal Behavior
• Principal researcher: Stelio Pacca Loureiro Luna
• Grantee: Mirella Miconi Neves
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/12815-0 - Pain and quality of life in animals, AP.TEM

Abstract

Pain is a multidimensional aversive experience. Cats do not express pain as clearly as dogs, which makes it even more challenging to diagnose it, even for experienced observers. The most effective way to assess pain is to use reliable and valid instruments. This project is part of the Thematic FAPESP 2017/12815-0 and is part of a multi-language project (Portuguese, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and Japanese) to validate the short version of the Unesp - Botucatu pain scale in cats, which in its complete version, is an international reference. This project aims to validate the short form of the UNESP - Botucatu scale by an inexperienced evaluator, based on the hypothesis that the she will present the same reliability than the experienced evaluators. To reach this objective, the intra- and inter-observer reliability of the candidate (undergraduate student) will be compared with the experienced evaluators, who will evaluate the scale in their native languages. Thirty videos from a previously published study, from cats submitted to ovariohysterectomy will be evaluated twice with a 30 day interval. For each animal, four videos recorded preoperatively and postoperatively, before analgesic rescue, after analgesic rescue, and 24 hours after surgery will be randomly and blinded evaluated. The scale will be compared to the numerical, descriptive simple, visual analog and short version of Glasgow pain scale. Validation will include: reliability, criterion and construct validity, correlation among the scales, sensitivity, specificity, internal consistency and cut-off point.