Awareness of Pain Assessment for Elderly Patients with Dementia among Geriatric Care Hospital Nurses

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of nurses as case managers in the pain assessment of elderly patients with dementia in geriatric care hospitals by conducting a qualitative case study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with five nurses from two elderly care hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The collected data were qualitatively analyzed to examine experiences, strategies, and issues between the research cases. As a result of this study, five subcategories were derived: understanding of pain perception in dementia patients, difficulty in accurate self-report, assessment of pain behavioral indicators, identification of abnormal symptoms of pain through vital signs, and specific situation recognition. In addition, to verify the validity of the study, participant and peer reviews of the research results and interpretations were conducted. The results of the present study are intended to lay the basis for developing a pain assessment tool that can be used by nurses caring for elderly patients with dementia in geriatric care hospitals and pain management strategies. And, given the increasing importance of pain assessment and management through behavioral observation in the elderly with dementia in the clinical nursing practice for the elderly, a management plan for nurses must be prepared for pain assessment in elderly patients with dementia in geriatric care hospitals. The significance of this study is that it presents its results with supporting data.