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Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) - Glossary Term Illustration

Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is a scale used to assign a number to a participant’s perceived level of discomfort, pain, severity, or exertion. This scale is usually a numbered line, from 0 – 10, on a piece of paper (visual), that allows a patient to identify the point along the line (analog) that best represents their experience. A fairly robust body of research has demonstrated the validity, sensitivity, and reliability of VAS scales for a variety of applications and populations.

Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

Visual Analogue Scale (VAS): A scale used to assign a number to a participant’s perceived level of discomfort, pain, severity, or exertion. This scale is usually a numbered line, from 0 – 10, on a piece of paper (visual), that allows a patient to identify the point along the line (analog) that best represents their experience. A fairly robust body of research has demonstrated the validity, sensitivity, and reliability of VAS scales for a variety of applications and populations.

  • The graphic rating scale was originated in the Scott Co.'s laboratory in 1920 and is the basis of all later variations (1).

Freyd, M. (1923). The graphic rating scale. Journal of educational psychology, 14(2), 83.

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