Development and evaluation of the Pain Assessment in the Communicatively Impaired (PACI) tool: part I

Abstract

Pain is a common symptom for long-term care residents, particularly those in need of palliative care. However, pain assessment in residents who have communication limitations is challenging. A study was conducted with the aim of developing a pain assessment tool that could feasibly be used by direct care providers in long-term care with minimal training yet demonstrating strong psychometric properties. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods to develop and test the Pain Assessment in the Communicatively Impaired (PACI) tool. Part I of this paper reports on the development phase; a forthcoming second part will report on the testing phase. The overall results of this study support the psychometric properties and feasibility of the PACI tool, offering preliminary support for its use in clinical practice.