Pain and hospice care in nursing home residents with dementia and terminal cancer

Integration of palliative care in the management of multiple chronic conditions: An expert consensus paper with policy implications

BACKGROUND

This paper was jointly developed from members of the American Academy of Nursing Expert Panels on Palliative and End of Life Care, Primary Care, Aging, Acute and Critical Care, and two expert physicians.

PURPOSE

The overarching goal is to promote the integration of palliative care as symptom management into the primary care setting to transform care for patients living with multiple chronic conditions.

METHODS

Embracing the recommendations made by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine to initiate palliative care or symptom management at the onset of nonreversible or serious chronic conditions.

DISCUSSION

Earlier palliative interventions reduce disease exacerbation, prevent hospitalization, maintain physical functioning, and support health-related quality of life.

CONCLUSION

This is a needed paradigm shift as the nation's aging population escalates, Americans are living longer, and the healthcare costs for the nation are unprecedented.

End of life care for people with dementia and comorbid cancer: recent studies and research gaps

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This narrative review examines recent research on end of life (EOL) care for people with dementia and comorbid cancer, highlighting the complexity and challenge of providing effective EOL care for this group and areas of interest for future research.

RECENT FINDINGS

People with cancer and dementia and their family/supporters have more complex care and support needs at EOL that are less well met than those of older adults with cancer alone, including questionable use of aggressive EOL care interventions, poorer access to specialist palliative care teams and poor pain management. Those diagnosed with dementia at the same time as, or after their cancer diagnosis, are at greater risk of aggressive EOL care and EOL cancer treatment and care plans that are not able to meet their care needs as dementia progresses.

SUMMARY

There is a lack of research on EOL care for people with cancer and dementia. There is little understanding of what good care for this population looks like and if and how EOL care can best meet the needs of people with cancer and dementia or their carers/supporters. More research is needed to inform improved care for this population.

Exploring the Holistic Needs of People Living with Cancer in Care Homes: An Integrative Review

Up to 26% of individuals residing in care homes are impacted by cancer. This underscores the importance of understanding the holistic needs of care home residents living with cancer to enhance the quality of their care. The primary objective of this integrative literature review was to consolidate the available evidence concerning the comprehensive needs of people living with cancer in care home settings, providing valuable insights into addressing their diverse needs. An integrative literature review was conducted using a systematic approach. Extensive searches were conducted in three databases, complemented by a thorough examination of grey literature and reference lists of relevant papers. The review focused on literature published between 2012 and 2022. The screening process involved two independent reviewers, with a third reviewer resolving any discrepancies. The review identified twenty research papers that met the eligibility criteria. These papers shed light on three primary themes related to the holistic needs of care home residents with cancer: physical, psychological, and end-of-life needs. Physical needs encompassed pain management, symptom control, and nutrition, while psychological needs involved social support, emotional well-being, and mental health care. End-of-life needs addressed end-of-life care and advance care planning. These themes highlight the multifaceted nature of cancer care in care homes and underscore the importance of addressing residents' holistic needs in a comprehensive and integrated manner. Improving care home education about cancer and integrating palliative and hospice services within this setting are vital for addressing the diverse needs of residents with cancer.

The association between cognitive ability and opioid prescribing in vulnerable older adults with chronic pain in ambulatory care: a secondary data analysis using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

BACKGROUND

Vulnerable older adults living with Alzheimer's disease or Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (AD/ADRD) and chronic pain generally receive fewer pain medications than individuals without AD/ADRD, especially in nursing homes. Little is known about pain management in older adults with AD/ADRD in the community. The aim of the study was to examine opioid prescribing patterns in individuals with chronic pain by levels of cognitive ability in ambulatory care.

METHODS

We used the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), years 2002-2017, and identified three levels of cognitive impairment: no cognitive impairment (NCI), individuals reporting cognitive impairment (CI) without an AD/ADRD diagnosis, and individuals with a diagnosis of AD/ADRD. We examined any receipt of an opioid prescription and the number of opioid prescriptions using a logistic and negative binomial regression adjusting for sociodemographic and health characteristics and stratifying by three types of chronic pain (any chronic pain, severe chronic pain, and chronic pain identified through ICD 9/10 chronic pain diagnoses).

RESULTS

Among people with any chronic pain, adjusted odds of receiving an opioid for people with CI (OR 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.31-1.52) and AD/ADRD (OR 1.23, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.45) were higher compared to NCI. Among people with chronic pain ICD 9/10 conditions, the odds of receiving an opioid were also higher for those with CI (OR 1.43, 95% confidence interval 1.34-1.56) and AD/ADRD (OR 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.23-1.78) compared to NCI. Among those with severe chronic pain, people with CI were more likely to receive an opioid (OR 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.27) relative to NCI (OR 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.75-1.06). People with AD/ADRD experiencing severe chronic pain were not more likely to receive an opioid compared to the NCI group. Adjusted predicted counts of opioid prescriptions showed more opioids in CI and AD/ADRD in all chronic pain cohorts, with the largest numbers of opioid prescriptions in the severe chronic pain and ICD 9/10 diagnoses groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest increased opioid use in people living with CI and AD/ADRD in the ambulatory care setting and potentially indicate that these individuals either require more analgesics or that opioids may be overprescribed. Further research is needed to examine pain management in this vulnerable population.

Prevalence and health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults with comorbid cancer and dementia: a longitudinal analysis

OBJECTIVES

To examine health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults with: dementia only, cancer only, and comorbid cancer and dementia.

METHODS

Longitudinal analysis was conducted using data from 2010 to 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Health outcomes included mortality, limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), nursing home utilization, hospital stay, homecare use, self-rated health, and out-of-pocket medical expenditure. Panel regression was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The prevalence of comorbid cancer and dementia ranged from 2.56% to 2.97%. Individuals with comorbid cancer and dementia demonstrated a higher likelihood of nursing home utilization and poorer self-rated health but a lower likelihood of hospital stay, homecare use, and out-of-pocket expenditures, compared to the cancer only or dementia only groups. The differences in mortality and ADL and IADL limitations were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Comorbid cancer and dementia predicted longer nursing home utilization and poorer self-rated health. The results help guide care planning for individuals with comorbid cancer and dementia.

Cancer care for people with dementia: Literature overview and recommendations for practice and research

As many countries experience population aging, patients with cancer are becoming older and have more preexisting comorbidities, which include prevalent, age-related, chronic conditions such as dementia. People living with dementia (PLWD) are vulnerable to health disparities, and dementia has high potential to complicate and adversely affect care and outcomes across the cancer trajectory. This report offers an overview of dementia and its prevalence among patients with cancer and a summary of the research literature examining cancer care for PLWD. The reviewed research indicates that PLWD are more likely to have cancer diagnosed at an advanced stage, receive no or less extensive cancer treatment, and have poorer survival after a cancer diagnosis. These cancer disparities do not necessarily signify inappropriately later diagnosis or lower treatment of people with dementia as a group, and they are arguably less feasible and appropriate targets for care optimization. The reviewed research indicates that PLWD also have an increased risk of cancer-related emergency presentations, lower quality processes of cancer-related decision making, accessibility-related barriers to cancer investigations and treatment, higher experienced treatment burden and higher caregiver burden for families, and undertreated cancer-related pain. The authors propose that optimal cancer care for PLWD should focus on proactively minimizing these risk areas and thus must be highly person-centered, with holistic decision making, individualized reasonable adjustments to practice, and strong inclusion and support of family carers. Comprehensive recommendations are made for clinical practice and future research to help clinicians and providers deliver best and equitable cancer care for PLWD and their families.

Increased pain unpleasantness and pain-related fMRI activation in the periaqueductal gray in Alzheimer's disease

Background

Pain continues to be underrecognized and undertreated in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is essential to pain processing and modulation yet is damaged by AD. While evidence exists of altered neural processing of pain in AD, there has not been a focused investigation of the PAG during pain in people with AD.

Purpose

To investigate the role of the PAG in sensory and affective pain processing for people living with AD.

Methods

Participants from a larger study completed pain psychophysics assessments and then a perceptually-matched heat pain task (warmth, mild, and moderate pain) during a functional MRI scan. In this cross-sectional study, we examined blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses in the PAG and other pain-related regions in participants with AD (n = 18) and cognitively intact older adults (age- and sex-matched, n = 18). Associations of BOLD percent signal change and psychophysics were also examined.

Results

There were significant main effects of AD status on the temperature needed to reach each perception of warmth or pain, where people with AD reached higher temperatures. Furthermore, participants with AD rated mild and moderate pain as more unpleasant than controls. PAG BOLD activation was greater in AD relative to controls during warmth and mild pain percepts. No significant differences were found for moderate pain or in other regions of interest. Greater PAG activation during mild pain was associated with higher affective/unpleasantness ratings of mild pain in participants with AD but not in controls.

Conclusion

Results suggest a role for the PAG in altered pain responses in people with AD. The PAG is the primary source of endogenous opioid pain inhibition in the neuroaxis, thus, altered PAG function in AD suggests possible changes in descending pain inhibitory circuits. People with AD may have a greater risk of suffering from pain compared to cognitively intact older adults.

Opioids in the Elderly Patients with Cognitive Impairment: A Narrative Review

Introduction

Assessment and management of pain in elderly people with cognitive impairment is particularly challenging. Physiological changes due to aging as well as comorbidities and polypharmacy are responsible for a complex clinical approach. Concomitantly, in cognitive impairment, including advanced dementia, changes in the central nervous system along with changes in the peripheral nervous system due to aging have a significant impact on pain perception. Sometimes clinicians decide to prescribe opioids to relieve pain, also without a clear indication. This review aims to investigate the effect of opioids in elderly patients with cognitive impairment.

Methods

A literature search of PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane databases was conducted using keyword searches to generate lists of articles that were screened for relevance by title and abstract to give a final list of articles for full-text review. Further articles were identified by scanning the reference lists of the full-text articles.

Discussion

This review discusses the complex physiological and pharmacological changes in the elderly as well as the neurological changes that affect pain perception in this population. Additionally, it focuses on cognitive impairment and pain in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, the pain assessment in the elderly with cognitive impairment as well as the safety of opioid use in the elderly. Information regarding opioid prescription in nursing homes and recorded indications for opioid use, type and dosing of opioids, and compliance of treatment in advanced dementia are also provided.

Conclusions

Opioid prescription in the elderly population with cognitive impairment is particularly complex. All healthcare professionals involved in the care of such patients need to be aware of the challenges and strive to ensure analgesic use is guided by appropriate and accurate pain assessment.

Do Cognitively Impaired Elderly Patients with Cancer Respond Differently on Self-reported Symptom Scores? A 5-Year Retrospective Analysis

Objectives:

An increasing number of elderly subjects with cancer were admitted to the palliative care unit and they have suffered both distressing symptoms and cognitive impairment. We aim to identify the prevalence of cognitive impairment among elderly cancer patients receiving in-patient palliative care and to examine any difference between patients with cognitive impairment on self-reported symptoms.

Materials and Methods:

Subjects’ age ≥65 admitted to a palliative care unit from 01 September 2015 to 31 August 2020 was included in the study. Exclusion criteria were those with an impaired conscious state, severe cognitive impairment, or language problems that were non-communicable. Variables collected included baseline demographics, cancer diagnosis, cancer stage, mobility state using the modified Barthel index (mBI), and performance status as measured by the palliative performance scale. Cognitive impairment was defined by abbreviated mental test ≤6. Self-reported symptoms scales were measured by the Chinese version of MD Anderson Symptom Inventory and EORTC QLQ C-30 (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Quality of Life Core Questionnaire 30).

Results:

Nine hundred and ninety-one subjects with 1174 admissions were retrieved. Eight hundred and seventy-three admission episodes were included in this study. Three hundred and eight (35%) have cognitive impairment. Cognitively impaired subjects were older, showed worse physical function and performance status, and more often residing in old age homes. Independent predictors of cognitive impairment were age (OR 1.09), mBI (OR 0.96), chair/bed bound state (OR 1.79), and presence of brain metastasis (OR 2.63). They reported lower scores in pain (P < 0.001), distress (P < 0.001), sleep disturbance (P < 0.001) and nausea and vomiting (P = 0.012) in the self-reported symptoms scale.

Conclusion:

Elderly cancer patients with cognitive impairment were older with poorer performance status. They have reported a lower level of pain, distress, and sleep disturbance. Clinicians should be alerted to this phenomenon to tackle the unmet concomitant symptoms.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Pain Sensitivity and Unpleasantness in People with Vascular Dementia

OBJECTIVE

Advanced age holds higher risk of both pain and dementia, with many studies finding dementia often heightens sensitivity to pain. VaD is the second most common type of dementia. Only a few observational or retrospective studies have examined pain responsiveness in VaD, suggesting it may increase pain unpleasantness (i.e., pain affect). This study compared thermal pain psychophysics between a cohort of vascular dementia (VaD) patients and healthy control (HC) subjects.

DESIGN

Single center, cross-sectional, between-subjects design.

SUBJECTS

Verbally communicative, probable VaD patients (N = 23) and age- and sex-matched HC (N = 23).

METHODS

A thermal psychophysics protocol assessed "mild pain" and "moderate pain" thresholds (oC temperature) and associated unpleasantness ratings (0-20 scale) in both VaD and HC groups. Psychophysics were compared between groups by way of a mixed-effects analysis, controlling for depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences between groups for pain thresholds (main effect p = 0.086, Cohen's d: mild = 0.55, moderate = 0.27). However, unpleasantness ratings were higher in the VaD group compared to HC (main effect p = 0.003; mild pain p = 0.022, Cohen's d = 0.79; moderate pain p = 0.057, Cohen's d = 0.6).

CONCLUSIONS

These results are consistent with prior observational findings suggesting VaD may make patients more susceptible to pain, particularly its affective component.

Managing a Dual Diagnosis of Cancer and Dementia in an Acute Setting: Considerations, Implications, and Future Recommendations

OBJECTIVES

To present an overview of the issues related to the well-being of people affected by cancer and dementia. To highlight the evidence from dementia care that can help improve the care experiences of people with dementia and cancer.

DATA SOURCES

Electronic databases such as PubMed and CINAHL were used to retrieve relevant literature published between 2010 and 2020.

CONCLUSION

Having a dual diagnosis of dementia and cancer poses several challenges across the cancer care pathway. Communication, treatment decision-making, environment ,and time-related issues were all identified. The literature suggests the need for evidence-based guidelines taking into consideration the person and the environment to support this population.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

To address these challenges and offer an optimal care experience for this group and their families, solutions need to focus both on the workforce and the environment. Offering dementia education for professionals working in acute cancer care, as well as adapting local environments that facilitate people navigate the space can be a starting point to offer person-centered, rights-based dementia sensitive care.

Cultural and Ethical Barriers to Cancer Treatment in Nursing Homes and Educational Strategies: A Scoping Review

(1) Background: The aging of the population, the increase in the incidence of cancer with age, and effective chronic oncological treatments all lead to an increased prevalence of cancer in nursing homes. The aim of the present study was to map the cultural and ethical barriers associated with the treatment of cancer and educational strategies in this setting. (2) Methods: A systematic scoping review was conducted until April 2021 in MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL. All articles assessing continuum of care, paramedical education, and continuing education in the context of older cancer patients in nursing homes were reviewed. (3) Results: A total of 666 articles were analyzed, of which 65 studies were included. Many factors interfering with the decision to investigate and treat, leading to late- or unstaged disease, palliative-oriented care instead of curative, and a higher risk of unjustified transfers to acute care settings, were identified. The educational strategies explored in this context were generally based on training programs. (4) Conclusions: These results will allow the co-construction of educational tools intended to develop knowledge and skills to improve diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making, the consistency of care, and, ultimately, the quality of life of older cancer patients in nursing homes.

Treating the most vulnerable: A discursive review of experimental pain in Alzheimer's disease

AIM

The purpose of this manuscript is to summarize research on how experimental pain is experienced by adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to translate results into implications for nurses.

DESIGN

This discursive review synthesizes the results of three previous research studies exploring experimental pain in adults with AD.

METHODS

Using a series of fictional clinical vignettes, the authors discuss how the results from three previous papers using acute experimental pain can potentially be translated into clinical practice. The authors also introduce the reader to the concept of research-related psychophysics using introductory definitions and concepts with the impetus to encourage other nurses to consider this research methodology.

RESULTS

Pain characteristics in AD that differ from cognitively intact controls must be explored to properly address pain in this population. Nurses are well positioned to address these issues in order to provide a high quality of care to adults with AD.

The Impact of Dementia on Cancer Treatment Decision-Making, Cancer Treatment, and Mortality: A Mixed Studies Review

Dementia and cancer occur commonly in older adults. Yet, little is known about the effect of dementia on cancer treatment and outcomes in patients diagnosed with cancer, and no guidelines exist. We performed a mixed studies review to assess the current knowledge and gaps on the impact of dementia on cancer treatment decision-making, cancer treatment, and mortality. A search in PubMed, Medline, and PsycINFO identified 55 studies on older adults with a dementia diagnosis before a cancer diagnosis and/or comorbid cancer and dementia published in English from January 2004 to February 2020. We described variability using range in quantitative estimates, ie, odds ratios (ORs), hazard ratios (HRs), and risk ratios (RR) when appropriate and performed narrative review of qualitative data. Patients with dementia were more likely to receive no curative treatment (including hospice or palliative care) (OR, HR, and RR range = 0.40-4.4, n = 8), while less likely to receive chemotherapy (OR and HR range = 0.11-0.68, n = 8), radiation (OR range = 0.24-0.56, n = 2), and surgery (OR range = 0.30-1.3, n = 4). Older adults with cancer and dementia had higher mortality than those with cancer alone (HR and OR range = 0.92-5.8, n = 33). Summarized findings from qualitative studies consistently revealed that clinicians, caregivers, and patients tended to prefer less aggressive care and gave higher priority to quality of life over life expectancy for those with dementia. Current practices in treatment-decision making for patients with both cancer and dementia are inconsistent. There is an urgent need for treatment guidelines for this growing patient population that considers patient and caregiver perspectives.

Assessment of pain in people living with dementia at the end of life: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

People with dementia may not receive the same quality of palliative care as those with other life-limiting conditions, particularly at end of life (EoL).

AIMS

To understand the best way to examine pain in people with dementia.

METHODS

A systematic review of tools to assess pain in patients with dementia near the end of life; PubMed, Medline, Embase, EBSCO Host, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, Psycinfo, PsycArticles and Scopus were searched.

FINDINGS

A total of 15 articles were identified, which were qualitatively synthesised.

CONCLUSION

There are a range of pain assessment tools that are appropriate for use in people with dementia, but all 15 studies used a formal tool. A more robust approach is needed to improve the quality of research for measurement and management of pain in this population.

Policy Implications for Pain in Advanced Alzheimer's Disease

Untreated pain in people with Alzheimer's disease continues to be a serious public health problem. Pain is a subjective and complex experience that becomes increasingly challenging to assess as cognition declines. Our understanding of pain processing is incomplete, particularly for special populations such as people living with Alzheimer's disease, and especially in the advanced stages of the disease. Pain-processing networks in the brain are altered in Alzheimer's disease, yet evidence suggests people living with Alzheimer's disease do not experience less pain. Rather, their pain is not adequately recognized or treated. Although scholarly publications provide important assistance, recent widespread reports and guidelines do not include sufficient guidance, especially as Alzheimer's disease progresses to the last stages. Additionally, current pain measurements may not accurately evaluate pain in this condition, and the existing definitions of pain are not adequate when considering the effects of Alzheimer's disease on pain-processing in the brain. There is a need for new, widespread policies, guidelines, and definitions to help clinicians adequately manage pain in people with Alzheimer's disease. These will need to hinge on continued research because it remains unclear how Alzheimer's disease impacts central pain processing, pain expression, and communication of pain. In the meantime, policies and guidelines need to highlight current best practices as well as the fact that pain continues in Alzheimer's disease.

Adults' Self-Management of Chronic Cancer and Noncancer Pain in People with and Without Cognitive Impairment: A Concept Analysis

AIM

To report a concept analysis of adult self-management of chronic pain.

BACKGROUND

Self-management of chronic pain has received increasing attention in the clinical research literature. Although with only limited conceptual work. Despite the pervasiveness of pain in adults, there has been a lack of conceptual work to elucidate meaning of adult's self-management of chronic pain.

DESIGN

Concept Analysis.

METHOD

Rodgers (2000) evolutionary approach of concept analysis was used to systematically analyze 44 articles from different databases. Only 12 articles used the concept of chronic pain self-management. Data were extracted using standardized forms and analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

This concept analysis identified six attributes of adult self-management of chronic pain: (1) multimodal interventions; (2) patient-provider relationship; (3) goal setting; (4) decision making; (5) resource utilization; and (6) chronic pain problem solving.

An Overview of Treating People with Comorbid Dementia: Implications for Cancer Care

With increasing prevalence of both cancer and dementia in the UK, due to an ageing population, oncology healthcare professionals will experience higher numbers of people with both conditions. As dementia is highly heterogeneous and symptoms vary from individual to individual, it presents specific challenges for healthcare professionals, people with dementia and caregivers alike. This overview will describe current theories that explain the association between cancer and dementia, report prevalence rates and highlight the evidence on the impact of having a diagnosis of dementia on outcomes along the cancer pathway from cancer symptom detection to cancer treatment outcomes. It suggests that although prevalence rates of cancer and dementia are typically lower than other comorbidities, people with cancer and dementia have poorer cancer-related outcomes. This includes later stage cancer diagnoses, fewer cancer treatment options and an increased risk of death compared with people who have cancer alone or other comorbid conditions. Considerations for cancer treatment decision making and management are proposed to improve patient experience for this group.

Medication use in aged care residents in the last year of life: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

A substantial number of older adults die in residential aged care facilities, yet little is known about the characteristics of and how best to optimise medication use in the last year of life.

AIM

The aim of this review was to map characteristics of medication use in aged care residents during the last year of life in order to examine key concepts related to medication safety and draw implications for further research and service provision.

DESIGN

A scoping review following Arskey and O'Malley's framework was conducted using a targeted keyword search, followed by assessments of eligibility based on title and content of abstracts and full papers. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, the scoping review protocol was prospectively registered to the Open Science Framework on 27 November 2018.

DATA SOURCES

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL and Cochrane databases to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 1937 and 2018, written in English and looking at medication use in individuals living in aged care facilities within their last year of life.

RESULTS

A total of 30 papers were reviewed. Five key overarching themes were derived from the analysis process: (1) access to medicines at the end of life, (2) categorisation and classes: medicines and populations, (3) polypharmacy and total medication numbers, (4) use of symptomatic versus preventive medications and (5) 'inappropriate' medications.

CONCLUSION

Number of prescriptions or blunt categorisations of medications to assess their appropriateness are unlikely to be sufficient to promote well-being and medication safety for older people in residential aged care in the final stages of life.

Palliative care and infection management at end of life in nursing homes: A descriptive survey

BACKGROUND

Infections are common occurrences at end of life that are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality among frail elderly individuals. The problem of infections in nursing homes has led to a subsequent overuse and misuse of antibiotics in this already-frail population. Improving palliative care in nursing homes has been proposed as a key strategy to reduce the use of antibiotics.

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe the current status of how nursing homes integrates palliative care and infection management at end of life across the nation.

DESIGN

This is a cross-sectional survey of nationally representative US nursing homes.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

Between November 2017 and October 2018, a survey was conducted with a nationally representative random sample of nursing homes and 892 surveys were completed (49% response rate). The weighted study sample represented 15,381 nursing homes across the nation.

RESULTS

Most nursing homes engaged in care plan documentation on what is important to residents (90.43%) and discussed spiritual needs of terminally ill residents (89.50%). In the event of aspiration pneumonia in terminally ill residents, 59.43% of nursing homes responded that resident would be transferred to the hospital. In suspected urinary tract infection among terminally ill residents, 66.62% of nursing homes responded that the resident will be treated with antibiotics.

CONCLUSION

The study found wide variations in nursing home palliative care practices, particularly for timing of end-of-life care discussions, and suboptimal care reported for antibiotic usage. Further education for nursing home staff on appropriate antibiotic usage and best practices to integrate infection management in palliative care at the end of life is needed.

Adjuvant Use and the Intensification of Pharmacologic Management for Pain in Nursing Home Residents with Cancer: Data from a US National Database

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to describe the prevalence of adjuvants to opioid therapy and changes in these agents for pharmacologic management in nursing home residents with cancer.

METHODS

We included Medicare beneficiaries with cancer and documented opioid use at nursing home admission in 2011-2013 (N = 3268). The Minimum Data Set 3.0 provided information on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Part D claims provided information on opioid and adjuvant use during the 7 days after admission and 90 days later. Proportions of changes in these agents were estimated. Separate logistic models estimated associations between resident characteristics and (1) use of adjuvants at admission and (2) intensification of pharmacologic management at 90 days.

RESULTS

Nearly 20% of patients received adjuvants to opioids at admission, with gabapentin the most common adjuvant (34.4%). After 90 days, approximately 25% had maintained or intensified pharmacologic management. While advanced age (≥ 85 vs. 65-74 years, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63-1.02) and comorbidities, including dementia (aOR 0.65; 95% CI 0.53-0.82) and depression (aOR 1.55; 95% CI 1.29-1.87), were associated with adjuvant use at admission, worse cognitive impairment (severe vs. no/mild, aOR 0.80; 95% CI 0.64-0.99) and presence of more severe pain (moderate/severe vs. no pain, aOR 1.60; 95% CI 1.26-2.03) were associated with intensification of drug regimen.

CONCLUSION

Given aging-related changes and the presence of comorbid conditions in older adults, safety studies of these practices are warranted.

Comorbid Dementia and Cancer in Residents of Nursing Homes: Secondary Analyses of a Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Life expectancy is increasing continuously, which increases the likelihood of developing dementia or cancer. Both dementia and cancer are serious conditions that give manifold symptoms. The interaction of these conditions is however complex and less explored.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of cancer and differences regarding neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and medication among nursing home (NH) patients with and without dementia and cancer.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study of Norwegian NH patients (N = 1825). Participants were categorized according to degree of dementia (Clinical Dementia Rating > 1) and cancer diagnoses. Differences in NPS and other symptoms, as well as the use of medication, were explored.

RESULTS

Eighty-four percent of NH patients had dementia, and 5.5% had comorbid dementia and cancer. Patients with comorbid dementia and cancer received significantly more analgesics compared with patients without cancer but with dementia (P < .05). Compared with patients without dementia but with cancer, patients with comorbid dementia and cancer had significantly more NPS, including sleep disturbances and agitation.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with comorbid dementia and cancer receive more analgesics than patients with dementia but still display more agitation and sleep disturbances than patients with cancer and patients with neither dementia nor cancer, suggesting that symptoms may not be treated adequately.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The results indicate a considerable strain for patients with comorbid dementia and cancer and highlight essential challenges for the clinician who is responsible for treatment and care. Nurses should pay attention to agitation and sleep disturbances among patients with comorbid dementia and cancer.

Dementia and Parkinson's Disease: Similar and Divergent Challenges in Providing Palliative Care

Dementia and Parkinson's disease are incurable neurological conditions. Patients often experience specific, complex, and varying needs along their disease trajectory. Current management typically employs a multidisciplinary team approach. Recognition is growing that this team approach should also address palliative care issues to optimize quality of life for patient and family caregivers, but it remains unclear how palliative care is best delivered. To inspire future service development and research, we compare the trajectories and conceptualization of palliative care between dementia and Parkinson's disease. Both Parkinson's disease and dementia are characterized by a protracted course, with progressive but fairly insidious development of disability. However, patients with Parkinson's disease may experience relatively stable periods initially but with time, a wide range of debilitating symptoms develops, many of which do not respond well to treatment. Eventually, dementia develops in most Parkinson patients, while motor disability develops in many dementia patients. In both diseases, symptoms such as pain, apathy, sleeping problems, falls, and a high caregiver burden are prevalent. Advance care planning has benefits in terms of being prepared before the disease progresses into a stage with communication problems or severe cognitive impairment. However, for both conditions, the protracted disease trajectories complicate conceptualization of palliative care through different stages of the disease, with pertinent questions such as when to offer what interventions pro-actively. Given the similarities and differences, we should develop palliative approaches that are partially generic and partially disease-specific. These should be integrated seamlessly with disease-specific care. Substantial research is already being performed on dementia palliative care. This may also inform the further development of palliative care for Parkinson's disease, including an evaluation of palliative interventions and services.

Sex Differences in Associations of Cognitive Function with Perceptions of Pain in Older Adults

BACKGROUND

Sex differences in pain have been shown to exist in older adults with normal cognition and people with Alzheimer's disease. It is unknown if sex differences in pain in older adults exist in a range of communicative older adults with varying cognitive ability from no impairment to moderately severe cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE

This study proposes to compare the association between psychophysical responses to experimental thermal pain between males and females to determine if sex differences in pain exist across the cognitive spectrum.

METHODS

We conducted a secondary analysis of data from an age- and sex-matched between-groups cross-sectional study examining the psychophysical response to contact heat in people with and without dementia.

RESULTS

Median age of males (n = 38) and females (n = 38) was 73 (range: 68-87) with similar distributions of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (range: 11-30). Findings revealed inverse statistically significant associations with the threshold temperature of warmth (females: r = -0.41, p = 0.010; males: r = -0.33, p = 0.044). There was an apparent divergent pattern of MMSE associations with unpleasantness ratings between the groups. At the moderate pain threshold, that difference became statistically significant (p = 0.033). Females demonstrated a positive association of MMSE with unpleasantness (r = 0.30, p = 0.072), while males demonstrated an inverse association at that respective threshold (r = -0.20, p = 0.221).

CONCLUSIONS

Between-group findings suggest that patterns of responses to thermal stimulus intensity may differ between males and females with worsening cognition with females reporting significantly less unpleasantness with the percept of moderate pain and males reporting significantly higher unpleasantness with moderate pain perception.

A systematic review of the prevalence of comorbid cancer and dementia and its implications for cancer-related care

OBJECTIVES

A comorbid diagnosis of cancer and dementia (cancer-dementia) may have unique implications for patient cancer-related experience. The objectives were to estimate prevalence of cancer-dementia and related experiences of people with dementia, their carers and cancer clinicians including cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care.

METHOD

Databases were searched (CINAHL, Psychinfo, Medline, Embase, BNI) using key terms such as dementia, cancer and experience. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (a) English language, (b) published any time until early 2016, (c) diagnosis of cancer-dementia and (d) original articles that assessed prevalence and/or cancer-related experiences including screening, cancer treatment and survival. Due to variations in study design and outcomes, study data were synthesised narratively.

RESULTS

Forty-seven studies were included in the review with a mix of quantitative (n = 44) and qualitative (n = 3) methodologies. Thirty-four studies reported varied cancer-dementia prevalence rates (range 0.2%-45.6%); the others reported reduced likelihood of receiving: cancer screening, cancer staging information, cancer treatment with curative intent and pain management, compared to those with cancer only. The findings indicate poorer cancer-related clinical outcomes including late diagnosis and higher mortality rates in those with cancer-dementia despite greater health service use.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a dearth of good-quality evidence investigating the cancer-dementia prevalence and its implications for successful cancer treatment. Findings suggest that dementia is associated with poorer cancer outcomes although the reasons for this are not yet clear. Further research is needed to better understand the impact of cancer-dementia and enable patients, carers and clinicians to make informed cancer-related decisions.

Prevalence of pain-related diagnoses in patients with dementia: a nationwide study

Purposes

To investigate the prevalence of pain-related diagnoses in patients with dementia and evaluate the association of pain-related diagnoses with demographic characteristics and dementia subtypes.

Patients and methods

In this population-based retrospective cohort study, participants were recruited from a cohort of 2 million people randomly sampled from the general population in the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan from 2000 to 2013. The index year was defined as the period of 1 year from the date of the first diagnosis of dementia.

Results

The study group comprised 28,450 patients with the dementia subtypes of vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or other dementia subtypes. The mean age of patients with dementia was 76.75 years. Of all patients with dementia, 49.07% had at least one pain-related diagnosis documented in their outpatient or inpatient claim records within the index year. The top three pain-related diagnoses were osteoarthritis (29.27%), headache (12.53%), and osteoporosis (11.43%). Musculoskeletal diagnosis was more likely in female patients with vascular dementia. Although patients with vascular dementia had a significantly lower prevalence of pain-related diagnosis, they had a significantly higher risk of 1-year mortality than patients with other dementia subtypes.

Conclusion

During the index year, 49.07% of patients with dementia had at least one pain-related diagnosis. To investigate the differences of the use of pain medication in patients with different dementia subtypes and the difference of pain-related diagnosis and treatment in patients with and without dementia, future studies are recommended.

Drug Prescriptions in Nursing Home Residents during their Last 6 Months of Life: Data from the IQUARE Study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the drug prescriptions of nursing home (NH) residents during the 6 months prior to their death, and the impact of the recognition of « life expectancy lower than 6 months » by the NH staff on the prescriptions.

DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

175 nursing homes in France.

PARTICIPANTS

6275 residents were included from May to June 2011.

MEASUREMENTS

The initial drug prescriptions of the residents who deceased within 6 months were compared with those who did not decease. Among the residents deceased within 6 months, the drug prescriptions were compared between the residents who were «considered at the end of their life» and those who were not. Potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIP) were analyzed using Laroche criteria and a list of therapies considered as inappropriate at the end of life.

RESULTS

498 residents (7.9%) died within 6 months after their inclusion: they had significantly more therapies (8.3 ± 3.8 vs. 7.9 ± 3.5, p=0.048) than non-deceased people. Sixty-one of the residents deceased within 6 months were considered by the NH staff as «end of life residents » (12.2%). They received significantly less drugs (6.4 ± 4.2 vs 8.5 ± 3.6, p<0.001) than NH's residents not identified at the end of their life. They had a more frequent prescription of opioids (p<0.001), and less antipsychotics (p<0.001), lipid-lowering drugs (p=0.006), or antihypertensive therapies (p<0.01). They also received significantly less PIP (59.0% received at least one inappropriate prescription, vs. 87.2%, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

An important proportion of nursing home residents received PIP. The quality of prescriptions in patients identified at the end of their life seems to improve, but more than half still receive inappropriate drugs. Special attention in prescribing should be given to these patients presenting a high risk of adverse events.

Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Treat Pain and Agitation in Dementia: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials from Long-Term Care with Potential Use in Critical Care

The risk of pain in adults with dementia worsens with advancing age. Painful comorbidities may be underassessed and inadequately treated. Receiving treatment in critical care settings may indicate greater occurrences of pain and complications. Pain may exacerbate behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), such as agitation. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies may alleviate pain and BPSD, and continuity of therapy may bolster these therapeutic effects. This review did not reveal an apparent benefit of aromatherapy; however, improvements in BPSD have been shown previously. Massage and human interaction did demonstrate efficacy in reducing BPSD and pain.

Nurses' experiences of pain management for people with advanced dementia approaching the end of life: a qualitative study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore hospice, acute care and nursing home nurses' experiences of pain management for people with advanced dementia in the final month of life. To identify the challenges, facilitators and practice areas requiring further support.

BACKGROUND

Pain management in end-stage dementia is a fundamental aspect of end-of-life care; however, it is unclear what challenges and facilitators nurses experience in practice, whether these differ across care settings, and whether training needs to be tailored to the context of care.

DESIGN

A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to examine data.

METHODS

Twenty-four registered nurses caring for people dying with advanced dementia were recruited from 10 nursing homes, three hospices and two acute hospitals across a region of the UK. Interviews were conducted between June 2014-September 2015.

RESULTS

Three core themes were identified: challenges administering analgesia, the nurse-physician relationship, and interactive learning and practice development. Patient-related challenges to pain management were universal across care settings; nurse- and organisation-related barriers differed between settings. A need for interactive learning and practice development, particularly in pharmacology, was identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Achieving pain management in practice was highly challenging. A number of barriers were identified; however, the manner and extent to which these impacted on nurses differed across hospice, nursing home and acute care settings. Needs-based training to support and promote practice development in pain management in end-stage dementia is required.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Nurses considered pain management fundamental to end-of-life care provision; however, nurses working in acute care and nursing home settings may be undersupported and under-resourced to adequately manage pain in people dying with advanced dementia. Nurse-to-nurse mentoring and ongoing needs-assessed interactive case-based learning could help promote practice development in this area. Nurses require continuing professional development in pharmacology.

Palliative Care in New York State Nursing Homes: A Descriptive Study

Objective:

To describe the current landscape of palliative care (PC) in nursing homes (NHs) in New York State (NYS).

Measurements:

A statewide survey was completed by 149 respondents who named 61 different NHs as their workplace. Questions were related to presence, type, and composition of PC programs; perceptions of PC; barriers to implementing PC; and qualifying medical conditions.

Results:

Hospice is less available than palliative or comfort care programs, with three-fourths of NYS NH responded providing a PC program. In general, medical directors and physicians were more similar in perspective about the role/impact of PC compared to nursing and others. There was general agreement about the positive impact and role of PC in the NH. Funding and staffing were recognized as barriers to implementing PC.

Conclusion:

There is growing penetration of PC programs in NH facilities in NYS, with good perception of the appropriate utilization of PC programs. Financial reimbursement and staffing are barriers to providing PC in the NH and need to be addressed by the health-care system.

The extended palliative phase of dementia – An integrative literature review

This article presents an integrative literature review of the experience of dementia care associated with the extended palliative phase of dementia. The aim was to highlight how dementia is defined in the literature and describe what is known about the symptomatology and management of advanced dementia regarding the needs and preferences of the person with dementia and their family carer/s. There was no consistent definition of advanced dementia. The extended palliative phase was generally synonymous with end-of-life care. Advanced care planning is purported to enable professionals to work together with people with dementia and their families. A lack of understanding of palliative care among frontline practitioners was related to a dearth of educational opportunities in advanced dementia care. There are few robust concepts and theories that embrace living the best life possible during the later stages of dementia. These findings informed our subsequent work around the concept, ‘Dementia Palliare’.

Contact heat sensitivity and reports of unpleasantness in communicative people with mild to moderate cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Compared to healthy controls, people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been shown to receive less pain medication and report pain less frequently. It is unknown if these findings reflect less perceived pain in AD, an inability to recognize pain, or an inability to communicate pain.

METHODS

To further examine aspects of pain processing in AD, we conducted a cross-sectional study of sex-matched adults ≥65 years old with and without AD (AD: n = 40, female = 20, median age = 75; control: n = 40, female = 20, median age = 70) to compare the psychophysical response to contact-evoked perceptual heat thresholds of warmth, mild pain, and moderate pain, and self-reported unpleasantness for each percept.

RESULTS

When compared to controls, participants with AD required higher temperatures to report sensing warmth (Cohen's d = 0.64, p = 0.002), mild pain (Cohen's d = 0.51, p = 0.016), and moderate pain (Cohen's d = 0.45, p = 0.043). Conversely, there were no significant between-group differences in unpleasantness ratings (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The between-group findings demonstrate that when compared to controls, people with AD are less sensitive to the detection of thermal pain but do not differ in affective response to the unpleasant aspects of thermal pain. These findings suggest that people with AD may experience greater levels of pain and potentially greater levels of tissue or organ damage prior to identifying and reporting injury. This finding may help to explain the decreased frequency of pain reports and consequently a lower administration of analgesics in AD.

Decision Factors Nurses Use to Assess Pain in Nursing Home Residents With Dementia

Nurses caring for older people with various psychiatric illnesses face many obstacles when treating pain. One setting with a high percentage of psychiatric conditions is long-term care where more than half of residents have some form of dementia, and behavioral symptoms of dementia (BSDs) may mimic behavioral displays of pain. Furthermore, two-thirds of nursing home residents have pain. Thus, many nursing home residents with dementia have pain that may be confounded by BSDs. Since many people with dementia are at risk for poor pain management, determining current methods in which nurses assess and manage pain in nursing home residents will aid in recognizing potential barriers to using current pain management guidelines and help develop strategies to enhance nurses' assessment and management of pain in this vulnerable population. The aim of this study was to explore nursing home nurses' cues and practices to identify and alleviate pain in nursing home residents with dementia. Nurses use the constructs of 'comfort' and 'quality of life' as key components in their overall pain assessment strategy in people with dementia. Indeed, the extensive process they use involving frequent reassessment and application of interventions is geared towards "appearance of comfort." Nurses reported difficulty in ascertaining whether a person with dementia was in pain, and they expressed further difficulty determining the intensity associated with resident pain. Nurses further reported that residents with dementia who are not well know by the staff were are greater risk of poor pain management. It was not unusual for nurses to discuss the importance of conflict resolution among family members as well as allowing for open expression of family's concerns. Nurses had to focus not only on the resident's comfort, but also the families' level of comfort with pain management, especially at the end-of-life. Findings support further use and development of discomfort behavior scales to help manage pain.

Specific Physician Orders Improve Pain Detection and Pain Reports in Nursing Home Residents: Preliminary Data

Despite evidence that many nursing home residents' pain is poorly managed, reasons for this poor management remain unanswered. The aim of this study was to determine if specific order sets related to pain assessment would improve pain management in nursing home (NH) residents. Outcomes included observed nurse pain assessment queries and resident reports of pain. The pretest/post-test study was performed in a 240-bed for-profit nursing home in the mid-southern region of the United States and participants were 43 nursing home residents capable of self-consent. Medical chart abstraction was performed during a 2-week (14-day) period before the implementation of specific order sets for pain assessment (intervention) and a 2-week (14-day) period after the intervention. Trained research assistants observed medication administration passes and performed participant interviews after each medication pass. One month after intervention implementation, 1 additional day of observations was conducted to determine data reliability. Nurses were observed to ask residents about pain more frequently, and nurses continued to ask about pain at higher rates 1 month after the intervention was discontinued. The proportion of residents who reported pain also significantly increased in response to increased nurse queries (e.g., "Do you have any pain right now?"), which underscores the importance of nurses directly asking residents about pain. Notably 70% of this long-stay NH population only told the nurses about their pain symptoms when asked directly. Findings uncover that using specific pain order sets seems to improve the detection of pain, which should be a routine part of nursing assessment.

Pain management in nursing home residents with cancer

OBJECTIVES

To assess improvements in pain management of nursing home (NH) residents with cancer since the implementation of pain management quality indicators.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

One thousand three hundred eighty-two U.S. NHs (N = 1,382).

PARTICIPANTS

Newly admitted, Medicare-eligible NH residents with cancer (N = 8,094).

MEASUREMENTS

Nationwide data on NH resident health from Minimum Data Set 2.0 linked to all-payer pharmacy dispensing records (February 2006-June 2007) were used to determine prevalence of pain, including frequency and intensity, and receipt of nonopioid and opioid analgesics. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate resident-level correlates of pain and binomial logistic regression to identify correlates of untreated pain.

RESULTS

More than 65% of NH residents with cancer had any pain (28.3% daily, 37.3% <daily), 13.5% of whom had severe and 61.3% had moderate pain. Women; residents admitted from acute care or who were bedfast; and those with compromised activities of daily living, depressed mood, an indwelling catheter, or a terminal prognosis were more likely to have pain. More than 17% of residents in daily pain (95% confidence interval (CI) = 16.0-19.1%) received no analgesics, including 11.7% with daily severe pain (95% CI = 8.9-14.5%) and 16.9% with daily moderate pain (95% CI = 15.1-18.8%). Treatment was negatively associated with age of 85 and older (adjusted OR (aOR) = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.55-0.81 vs aged 65-74), cognitive impairment (aOR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.61-0.82), presence of feeding tube (aOR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.60-0.99), and restraints (aOR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.31-0.82).

CONCLUSION

Untreated pain is still common in NH residents with cancer and persists despite pain management quality indicators.

Underrecognition and Undertreatment of Pain and Behavioral Symptoms in End-Stage Dementia

End-stage dementia, a terminal condition, is associated with a high prevalence of physical pain and behavioral symptoms. As these patients often have a decreased ability to express their symptoms, they are often underrecognized and undertreated. This article proposes opportunities to improve patient care. The article underscores the role of assessment scales to optimize behavioral management for patients with dementia and discusses the value of pain management to improve behavioral symptoms. Additionally, a collaborative interdisciplinary team, including palliative medicine, pharmacy services, and spiritual support can optimize patient care and develop a plan of care.

Prevalence and Description of Palliative Care in US Nursing Homes

Objective:

To describe rates and policies in U.S. Nursing Homes (NH) related to palliative care, comfort care, and hospice care based on a nationwide survey of directors of nursing.

Measurements:

A national survey was distributed online and was completed by 316 directors of nursing of NHs (11% response rate). The directors of nursing were asked about availability and policies in their facilities. Specifically, questions were related to policies, referral patterns, discussion about such care, and types of medical conditions qualifying for such services.

Results:

Hospice is significantly more available than palliative or comfort care programs; also, for-profit facilities, compared to non-profits, are significantly more likely to have palliative care programs and medical directors for palliative care. Social workers and nurses were most likely to suggest palliative type programs. Only 42% of facilities with palliative program provide consultation by a palliative certified physician. Residents with non-healing pressure ulcers, frequent hospitalizations, or severe/uncontrolled pain or non-pain symptoms were less likely to be referred.

Conclusions:

There is limited availability of palliative type programs in NH facilities and underutilization in those NH with programs.

Emotional function in dementia patients

Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, which can be considered as hyperreactivity of the emotional functioning of dementia, can be alleviated or aggravated by the behavioural and psychological symptoms of the caregiver. Comfortable stimulations of emotional function through sensory stimulations are effective methods for alleviating behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. Although cognitive function deteriorates with age, emotional function is often retained even in advanced years. Thus, it is recommended that care in patients with dementia be focused mainly on the stimulation of emotional function (e.g. sympathy and empathy, which are human traits), rather than relying solely on the stimulation of cognitive function.

Pain assessment in hospitalized older adults with dementia and delirium

Pain can have negative effects leading to prolonged hospital stays. Determining the presence of uncontrolled and untreated pain in patients with cognitive impairments such as delirium, dementia, and delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) is challenging. One tool commonly suggested for use in assessment of pain in older adults with cognitive impairment is the Pain Assessment In Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) scale. Proper use of the PAINAD scale as part of a comprehensive pain management plan can help reduce the likelihood of a patient experiencing unrecognized and untreated pain. Using an individual example, this article illustrates best practices in pain assessment and management for a woman experiencing DSD during an acute hospitalization.

Pain reports and pain medication treatment in nursing home residents with and without dementia

AIM

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if a diagnosis of dementia influenced pain self-reports and pain medication use in a group of verbally communicative nursing home (NH) residents.

METHODS

The study design was a between groups, cross-sectional chart audit and a seven-question structured pain interview comparing outcomes in residents with and without a diagnosis of dementia. The study was carried out at a large metropolitan NH in the southern USA. The participants consisted of 52 long-stay NH residents capable of self-consent with at least one order for pain medication (opioid or non-narcotic) either pro re nata, scheduled or both. Approximately 40% (n = 20) had a diagnosis of dementia.

RESULTS

Although each group had similar pain-related diagnoses, residents without a dementia diagnosis were significantly more likely to have a medication order for an opioid (OR 4.37,95% CI 1.29-14.73, P = 0.018). Based on self-reported pain interview responses, no statistically significant differences were identified between the groups for chronic pain symptoms. However, among residents who reported current pain, those with a dementia diagnosis reported greater pain intensity (based on a 0-10 numeric rating scale) than did those without dementia (median 8.0 vs 6.0, respectively; P = 0.010).

CONCLUSIONS

Verbally communicative NH residents with mild and moderate cognitive impairment can report their pain symptoms and pain intensity. Nurses in long-term care might assume that residents with dementia cannot reliably self-report their pain; however, suffering from untreated severe pain could exacerbate cognitive impairment, worsen functional impairment and severely impair sleep. A brief, focused pain interview might be one method for increasing the detection of moderate to severe pain in verbally communicative NH residents with dementia.