The prevalence of pain in nursing home residents with dementia measured using an observational pain scale

Abstract Background Studies on pain and pain prevalence in older people with dementia are limited compared to those on cognitively intact older people. Pain prevalence rates in older people with dementia are estimated to be between 28% and 83%. Aims This study aimed to explore pain prevalence in nursing home residents with dementia using observational scale PACSLAC-D, and to identify the association between pain prevalence and (dementia) demographic parameters such as cognitive status, gender, analgesic use and co-morbidity. Methods Using an observational study design, 117 residents were observed and assessed for pain during personal morning care. Prevalence data were calculated and regression analyses applied. Results This study showed that almost half of the participants (47%) experienced pain to some extent. However, overall pain intensity scores were relatively mild. Among the independent variables, co-morbidities, analgesic use and the adjusted interaction term ‘co-morbidities + analgesic use’ had the strongest associations with pain and were thus shown to be valid significant predictors. Conclusion With its relatively new approach of measuring pain using an observational scale, this study confirms the expectation gleaned from other studies on less impaired older populations: namely, that pain prevalence in older residents with dementia in Dutch nursing homes is high.