ABSTRACT
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are one of the most widely prescribed drugs in general practice. The visual analogue scale is currently in widespread use in clinical trials of anti-inflammatory drugs. Studies involving the use of visual analogue scales generate a lot of paper and, unless each measurement is noted at the time the patient is assessed, each piece of paper needs to be accurately marked with the name of the patient and the time of the assessment. Despite their obvious limitations, visual analogue scales of pain and other symptoms are widely used in clinical trials of anti-inflammatory drugs. Many clinical trials in rheumatic diseases include some form of functional assessment, and improvement in functional ability must be a major objective in treatment. At the end of the trial, in addition to the standard methods of assessment, both patients and assessors are often asked for their overall assessment of each particular drug, and this is rated numerically.
