Pain and Associated Factors in Nursing Home Residents

Understanding factors associated with risk of pain allows residents and clinicians to plan care and set priorities, however, factors associated with pain in nursing home residents has not been conclusively studied. To evaluate the association between pain and nursing home (NH) resident demographic and clinical characteristics. Retrospective analysis of Minimum Data Set 3.0 records of nursing home residents residing in 44 Indiana NHs between September 27, 2011 and December 27, 2019 (N = 9,060). Pain prevalence in this sample of NH residents was 23.7%. Of those with pain, 28.0% experienced moderate to severe/frequent pain and 54.6% experienced persistent pain. Risk factors for moderate to severe/frequent pain include female sex; living in a rural setting; intact, mildly, or moderately impaired cognition; arthritis; contracture; anxiety; and depression. In contrast, stroke and Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's-disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) were associated with decreased risk of reporting moderate to severe/frequent pain, likely representing both the under-assessment and under-reporting of pain among cognitively impaired NH residents. Risk factors for persistent pain included age