A Single-Center Observational Study of Nurses’ Assessment of Pain in Older Adults with Dementia/Cognitive Impairment in the Acute Care Setting

Patricia Hughes, Pace University

Abstract

Pain assessment is the first step in ensuring that patients’ pain is adequately managed. Nurses’ assessment of pain in older adults with dementia/cognitive impairment has proved challenging, and studies have indicated gaps in nurses’ pain assessment practices and knowledge. A review of the literature demonstrated a lack of studies done regarding pain assessment of persons with dementia in acute care settings, and in particular, in the United States.This study employed a quantitative comparative descriptive design utilizing a retrospective chart review to explore how nurses assess pain in older adults with dementia/cognitive impairment in acute care settings. The results demonstrated that nurses utilize numerous pain scales when assessing pain in patients with dementia/cognitive impairment, and the type of pain assessment scale utilized by nurses varied significantly across clinical areas and with level of cognitive impairment. In addition, the observational pain scales utilized by nurses may not have always been appropriate for the patient. The average daily number of pain assessments varied significantly based on individual clinical unit, type of clinical unit, and level of cognitive impairment, but did not vary significantly when comparing hospital and Magnet designation. More research is needed on how nurses choose an observational pain scale for patients with dementia/cognitive impairment, and whether issues surrounding the use of appropriate scales are related to lack of knowledge about an appropriate scale, or utility of the scales themselves.

Subject Area

Nursing

Recommended Citation

Hughes, Patricia, "A Single-Center Observational Study of Nurses’ Assessment of Pain in Older Adults with Dementia/Cognitive Impairment in the Acute Care Setting" (2022). ETD Collection for Pace University. AAI30247891.
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/dissertations/AAI30247891

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