Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Mar 6;3(1):bjgpopen18X101629.
doi: 10.3399/bjgpopen18X101629. eCollection 2019 Apr.

A retrospective review of pain management in Tasmanian residential aged care facilities

Felicity Veal  1 , Mackenzie Williams  1 , Luke Bereznicki  2 , Elizabeth Cummings  3 , Tania Winzenberg  4
Affiliations

A retrospective review of pain management in Tasmanian residential aged care facilities

Felicity Veal et al. BJGP Open. .

Abstract

Background: The management of pain by GPs for residents of aged care facilities (ACFs) is very common.

Aim: To measure the prevalence and assess the management of pain in ACF residents, particularly those with dementia.

Design & setting: A retrospective review of ACF residents' medical records was undertaken at five southern Tasmanian (Australia) ACFs.

Method: Data extracted included results of the most recent assessment of pain and its management, frequency and treatment of pain incidents in the previous 7 days, demographics, and medical and medication history. Univariate analysis was used to identify variables associated with increased frequency of pain episodes.

Results: The final analysis included 477 residents. At least one episode of pain in the preceding 7 days was documented in 25.6% (n = 122) of residents' notes. Pain episodes were most commonly managed by analgesics (45.5%), massage (40.7%), and heatpacks (13.8%). Residents with dementia were not less likely to have pain identified during the past week (14% versus 20%; P = 0.09), but they were much less likely to have pain identified on their most recent pain assessment (P = 0.03).

Conclusion: GPs should carefully consider the suitability of using 'as required' analgesics. Furthermore, on admission to an ACF, GPs need to ensure a patient's medical history includes all pain or potentially pain-causing conditions, to ensure that a resident's pain assessment is complete. This is especially necessary for those with dementia, to ensure that staff remain vigilant about the possibility of the resident experiencing pain.

Keywords: Care of the elderly; Pain; Patient groups; Prescribing; general practice; primary healthcare.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

LB: reports personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Ltd and grants from Aspen Pharmacare Australia outside the submitted work The other authors declare that no competing interests exist.

References

    1. Blyth FM, March LM, Brnabic AJ, et al. Chronic pain in Australia: a prevalence study. Pain. 2001;89(2-3):127–134. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3959(00)00355-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gatchel RJ, Peng YB, Peters ML, et al. The biopsychosocial approach to chronic pain: scientific advances and future directions. Psychol Bull. 2007;133(4):581–624. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.133.4.581. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gibson SJ. IASP global year against pain in older persons: highlighting the current status and future perspectives in geriatric pain. Expert Rev Neurother. 2007;7(6):627–635. doi: 10.1586/14737175.7.6.627. - DOI - PubMed
    1. van Ojik AL, Jansen PA, Brouwers JR, et al. Treatment of chronic pain in older people: evidence-based choice of strong-acting opioids. Drugs Aging. 2012;29(8):615–625. doi: 10.2165/11632620-000000000-00000. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chou R, Ballantyne JC, Fanciullo GJ, et al. Research gaps on use of opioids for chronic noncancer pain: findings from a review of the evidence for an American Pain Society and American Academy of Pain Medicine clinical practice guideline. J Pain. 2009;10(2):147–159. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2008.10.007. - DOI - PubMed