查看文章

By Keela A. Herr; PhD, RN, CS; and Paula R. Mobily PhD) RN ecause of the increased incidence of chronic illness in the elderly, pain is a constant companion for many Harkins estimates that 80% of the elderly have at least one chronic ailment, often resulting in complaints of pain." Roy and Thomas found that 83% of nursing home residents reported painº In a subsequent study designed to assess the prevalence of pain in a group of noninstitutionalized elderly, a surpris-ing 70% registered complaints of pain." Whether nurses work with the eld-erly in long-term care facilities, acute care settings, extended care, or home or community-based settings, pain management problems are encountered daily. Accurate pain assessment is criti-cal for the identification of appropriate interventions, as well as ultimately evaluating the effectiveness of interventions used. However, in the elderly population, collecting and interpreting …