BioPsychoSocial Assessment Tools for the Elderly - Assessment Summary Sheet Test: Back Pain Classification Scale (BPCS) Year: 1978 Domain: Psychological Assessment Tool Category: Pain Variations/Translations: Spanish Assessment Setting: Clinical Method of Delivery: Self-administered questionnaire Description: This scale is a screening device that distinguishes low back pain due to psychological disturbance from that due to organic disease. It was developed from the observation that patients whose pain reflected psychological disturbance used verbal pain descriptors differently than those whose pain had an organic basis. The BPCS forms one component of the Low Back Pain Symptom Checklist (which is comprised of 103 adjectives from the McGill Pain Questionnaire, including 71 words that may be scored to provide 7 pain scales and the 13 words that form the BPCS which are randomly distributed through the questionnaire). Scoring/Interpretation: BPCS is scored using weights derived from the discriminant function analysis. Weights for the items selected by the respondent are added. A positive total score implies pain of psychological origin, whereas a negative total score reflects pain of organic origin. The higher the score (in either direction) the more likely is the diagnosis. Time to Administer: 5-10 minutes Availability: Contact the author (below) to obtain scale. Software: N/A Website: N/A Quantitative/Qualitative: Quantitative Validity (Quantitative): A cross-validation study found the scale correctly classified 83% of respondents. To achieve better classification 43 pain words or more should be used versus 13. Concurrent validity was evaluated by comparing BPCS to the Pain Drawing Test, the scales agreed on classifying 76% of respondents into disturbed or nondisturbed. Demographic variables do not predict scores, so it can be using in comparing patients with different backgrounds. Reliability (Quantitative): 24-hour test-retest reliability of 0.86 was obtained from a hospitalized sample. A split-half reliability of 0.89 was obtained from patients hospitalized with low back pain. A 5-day retest gave a reliability of 0.44. References: Leavitt, F., & Garron, D.C. (1979). The detection of psychological disturbance in patients with low back pain. J Psychosom Res, 23, 149-154. Comments: Scale does not identify the specific nature of emotional problems.