Adaptive Visual Analog Scales (AVAS): A modifiable software program for the creation, administration, and scoring of visual analog scales

The Adaptive Visual Analog Scales is a freely available computer software package designed to be a flexible tool for the creation, administration, and automated scoring of both continuous and discrete visual analog scale formats. The continuous format is a series of individual items that are rated along a solid line and scored as a percentage of distance from one of the two anchors of the rating line. The discrete format is a series of individual items that use a specific number of ordinal choices for rating each item. This software offers separate options for the creation and use of standardized instructions, practice sessions, and rating administration, all of which can be customized by the investigator. A unique participant/patient ID is used to store scores for each item, and individual data from each administration are automatically appended to that scale's data storage file. This software provides flexible, time-saving access for data management and/or importing data into statistical packages. This tool can be adapted so as to gather ratings for a wide range of clinical and research uses and is freely available at www.nrlc-group.net.