• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Pain assessment

Long-Term Care Nursing Advisor, April 26, 2004

Multiple studies suggest that 45%-80% of nursing home residents have untreated substantial pain, said Regina Fink, RN, PhD, FAAN, AOCN, a research nurse scientist for the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver, at an American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators Conference.

Additionally, an MDS study conducted through Brown University indicates that 41% of elderly residents in pain upon admission to the nursing home still experience moderate to severe pain 60-180 days later, said Fink.

According to Fink, properly assessing and treating pain may require you to give up some of your old ways of thinking. "We need to stop adhering to rules like only giving pain medications every four to six hours as needed," she advised.

And as a nurse, you are the staff member most likely to recognize pain. "We need to own pain as nurses because no one else is going to own it," Fink said. This can translate to educating other staff members or talking to clinicians who may be reluctant to order adequate pain medication due to concerns about addiction, dependence, tolerance, and side effects.

To properly understand pain, familiarize yourself with the leading causes of pain in long-term care residents. Here is a list of the most common painful conditions occurring in long-term care residents:

• Degenerative joint disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis
• Fractures
• Muscle pain/stiffness
• Neuropathies
• Post-stroke pain
• Skin or pressure ulcers
• Immobility

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive