Development and Validation of a New Questionnaire for Caregivers to Assess Hip Pain in Quadriplegic Pediatric Patients: Non-Ambulatory Hip Pain Questionnaire

Patients with quadriplegia have complex health and care needs: multimorbidity increases mortality, worsens functioning and participation (according to the ICF model) and negatively affects quality of life. One of the main problems that is difficult to identify early is undoubtedly pain, complicated by the many potential sources of pain and the different levels of intellectual and communicative disability of these patients. Although pain is a frequent concern for these patients and their families, as it greatly interferes with the daily activities and quality of life of all members of the household, it is very often underestimated, consequently little treated and little studied. In the pediatric population, the majority of patients with these characteristics have a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy (CP): 26% have quadriplegia, classifiable as level IV-V of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). In children with CP, pain is a secondary problem to primary disorders, but with a strongly negative impact on the overall picture, both for the strictly clinical aspects and for the deterioration of quality of life. More than 90% of children with CP between 5 and 18 years of age report experiences of pain within the 1st year (48% ambulatory patients, 79% non-ambulatory patients). A previous study on a sample of 101 parents of children with nonverbal CP, between 2 and 20 years old, report that 65% reported painful experiences in the last 4 weeks (for 17% the pain is intense, for 28% it is daily). Among the most common causes of chronic pain is described pain of musculoskeletal origin, often caused by joint misalignments, increased muscle tone and osteoporosis. Hip dislocation and associated pain are certainly among the main topics of rehabilitation relevance. According to literature data, the specific prevalence of hip pain ranges from 9.6% to 27% in non-ambulatory children or adolescents with CP. Hip pain increases with age, GMFCS level, and degree of dislocation. To monitor and detect hip migration early, as well as to prevent pain, several countries have developed specific hip surveillance programs for children with CP. Population-based registry studies have reported a prevalence of hip pain of 7.9% in patients with IV GMFCS and 20.5% among patients with IV GMFCS in the 4-16 age group, and an overall prevalence of 72% among adolescents and young adults with PC. The highest prevalence of hip pain is found in patients over 11 years of age. In non-verbal children or children with limited verbal and cognitive abilities, the description of pain is entrusted to parents and/or caregivers (observational/proxy methods), who know and interpret the typical behavioral response of their child. Therefore, in addition to a detailed medical history and physical examination, the importance of recognizing painful behaviors and the use of pain hetero-assessment scales was highlighted. According to a recent systematic review the parent or caregiver report can be used as an alternative for pain assessment in children with or at high risk of CP. The NICE guidelines for the identification of pain and the assessment of its intensity in children and adolescents with communication difficulties suggest the use of the Paediatric Pain Profile (PPP) or the Non-communicating Children's Pain Checklist - postoperative version (NCCPC-R). However, none of these tools are specific to CP patients. In 2004 the Pain Assessment Instrument for Cerebral Palsy (PAICP) was presented, a questionnaire dedicated to patients with severe CP, which uses Alternative Augmentative Communication images to identify potentially painful situations associated with the Faces Pain Scale to identify pain intensity. This tool, however, is not specific for hip pain and, moreover, implies a sufficient cognitive level to use the aforementioned communication tools. Based on our knowledge, there are no new studies that point to specific and/or effective tools for the identification of hip pain in quadriplegic pediatric patients. Therefore, to date, there is no specific assessment tool available for this population that investigates the presence and characteristics of hip pain. The aim of the present study is to develop and validate a questionnaire to be administered to caregivers, that can assist healthcare professionals in the identification of hip pain in pediatric patients with quadriplegia.