Using PROMIS Pain Interference Items to Improve Quality Measurement in Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities

PROMIS pain interference items appear to be more internally consistent than similar MDS items. The graded PROMIS items permit the creation of multiple quality scores, showing predictable overlap with corresponding MDS quality scores. Because PROMIS items provide finer distinctions, they allow greater latitude in reporting quality scores. We recommend further study of pain interference scores across IRFs to improve their reliability and validity.