A Scoping Review on Nurse's Pain Management of Older Patients with Dementia in a Hospital Environment.

OBJECTIVES: Hospitalized persons living with dementia often experience unrelieved pain. Unmanaged pain during hospitalization has a significant negative effect on quality of life for persons living with dementia. Despite the central role of nurses in pain management, little is known about how nurses manage pain in this patient population in the hospital environment. DESIGN: A scoping review explored the nurses' pain management practices when caring for persons living with dementia in a hospital setting. DATA SOURCES AND REVIEW/ANALYSIS METHODS: After an extensive search for all available evidence on how nurses manage pain in hospitalized persons living with dementia, data were extracted on pain management methods that included assessment, intervention, effectiveness of pain management, and the barriers nurses encountered when managing pain. A descriptive content analysis was used to extract data from qualitative studies. RESULTS: Six articles published between 2016 and 2021 met the inclusion criteria; four utilized qualitative methods, and the others used mixed-methods and quantitative study designs. A narrative description of the findings was summarized after data were categorized into pain management data elements and barriers nurses encountered when managing pain. Barriers were grouped into the subcategories of communication challenges (nurse to patient), information sharing (nurse to nurse), lack of knowledge, time constraints, and nursing stressors. CONCLUSION: We identified six articles that met our inclusion criteria, highlighting a noticeable gap in the literature. Managing pain in this population is complex and lacks organizational support. Review findings indicate that pain management methods lack consistency and standardization, making it difficult to assess their effectiveness. Nurses also described knowledge deficits resulting in practice gaps that, when combined with barriers and challenges, result in underrecognized and undermanaged pain.

The Use and Perceptions of the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale by Nursing Personnel.

BACKGROUND: In 2010, the Office of the US Army Surgeon General recommended the Veterans Administration (VA) assess pain using the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS). One item in the DVPRS is for measuring pain intensity. This item contains a combination of five response metrics: categories, faces, colors, numbers, and functional descriptors. A few studies have supported patients' and health care providers' preferences for the DVPRS and its psychometric properties. However, they also left uncertainties about its usability and validity. AIMS: To advance our understanding of the DVPRS, this study examined the use and perceptions of the DVPRS' pain intensity item by nursing personnel during multi-modal care. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey design was used. SETTING: VA Community Living Center. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing personnel. METHODS: Nursing personnel answered closed- and open-ended survey questions during a single session. RESULTS: Nursing personnel reported sufficient training before implementing the measure and that patients primarily used the numeric metric. When patients used a non-numeric metric, the nursing personnel responded in variable ways. In addition, the nursing personnel interpreted the functional descriptors differently. The nursing personnel also noted the need to supplement the pain intensity item with patients' pain duration and pain location. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study inform the nursing community about the DVPRS' pain intensity item, which combines multiple response metrics. The results support the need for nursing units to generate and standardize procedures for using the item to measure multi-site pain and for interpreting and documenting patients' non-numeric responses. The effects of such procedures on the measure's usability and psychometric properties warrants additional investigation.

Attitudes and Beliefs of Nurses and Nurse Assistants toward Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: A Mixed Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Pain experienced among individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) is the primary requirement for hospitalization. PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship of age, race, and years of experience among medical-surgical nurses and nursing assistants to their attitudes in caring for SCD patients and identified barriers that influence pain management care. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study design was used. Online survey data were collected among 56 participants and online interviews were conducted among three participants. METHODS: The General Perceptions of Sickle Cell Patients (GPSCP) Scale-17, composed of four subscales, assessed providers attitudes toward patients with SCD. Two subscales assessed providers' attitudes behaviors related to acute and chronic pain management. RESULTS: There was no relationship between age and years of experience to scores on four subscales. White/Caucasian study participants scored higher on the Red Flag Behaviors subscale, indicating that White/Caucasian participants had stronger beliefs concerning drug-seeking behaviors among SCD patients as compared to other ethnicities/races. Themes generated from the qualitative interview data analysis were: 1) reflections on one's own practice compared to others' practice; 2) communication as a barrier/facilitator to providing care; 3) lack of national guidelines; and 4) adjunct staff are critical to facilitating holistic care. CONCLUSIONS: Racial and ethnic differences exist among medical-surgical nurses and nursing assistants' attitudes. Poor communication and lack of national standards of care are barriers to providing high quality care. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Culturally sensitive care, based on current practice guidelines, is needed for improved pain management care for patients with SCD.

Four-year review of presenteeism data among employees of a large United States health care system: a retrospective prevalence study.

BACKGROUND: Historically, in an effort to evaluate and manage the rising cost of healthcare employers assess the direct cost burden via medical health claims and measures that yield clear data. Health related indirect costs are harder to measure and are often left out of the comprehensive overview of health expenses to an employer. Presenteeism, which is commonly referred to as an employee at work who has impaired productivity due to health considerations, has been identified as an indirect but relevant factor influencing productivity and human capitol. The current study evaluated presenteeism among employees of a large United States health care system that operates in six locations over a four-year period and estimated loss productivity due to poor health and its potential economic burden. METHODS: The Health-Related Productivity Loss Instrument (HPLI) was included as part of an online Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) administered to employees of a large United States health care system across six locations. A total of 58 299 HRAs from 22 893 employees were completed and analyzed; 7959 employees completed the HRA each year for 4 years. The prevalence of 22 specific health conditions and their effects on productivity areas (quantity of work, quality of work, work not done, and concentration) were measured. The estimated daily productivity loss per person, annual cost per person, and annual company costs were calculated for each condition by fitting marginal models using generalized estimating equations. Intra-participant agreement in reported productivity loss across time was evaluated using κ statistics for each condition. RESULTS: The health conditions rated highest in prevalence were allergies and hypertension (high blood pressure). The conditions with the highest estimated daily productivity loss and annual cost per person were chronic back pain, mental illness, general anxiety, migraines or severe headaches, neck pain, and depression. Allergies and migraines or severe headaches had the highest estimated annual company cost. Most health conditions had at least fair intra-participant agreement (κ ≥ 0.40) on reported daily productivity loss. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the current study suggested a variety of health conditions contributed to daily productivity loss and resulted in additional annual estimated costs for the health care system. To improve the productivity and well-being of their workforce, employers should consider presenteeism data when planning comprehensive wellness initiatives to curb productivity loss and increase employee health and well-being during working hours.

Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on Improving Family-Centred Pain Care in a Tertiary Pediatric Centre.

BACKGROUND: Despite being a core component of family-centered and compassionate care, children's pain is often undertreated in Canadian hospitals. Nurses' and other healthcare professionals' (HCPs) ability to understand and respond to a child and their family's pain care needs is integral to improving this care in a family-centered manner. PURPOSE: To understand nurses' and other HCPs' perceptions of child and family needs to make care more collaborative and patient- and family-centered. METHODS: Eighteen participants were recruited and represented the specialties of nursing (n = 8), psychology (n = 1), child life services (n = 2), medicine/surgery (n = 3), and administration/leadership (n = 4); 3 of the administrators had a nursing background. Transcripts were analysed using a semantic, inductive approach with two coders using a codebook to ensure reliability. RESULTS: Participants felt that pain care was important, but that it needs to take greater priority in the hospital. In our analysis, we identified four core needs that nurses and other HCPs have to provide better pain care: 1. Better acknowledgement of child and family experiences; 2. Better visual and written knowledge translation tools for patients and families; 3. Better provision of verbal pain education to children and families by nurses and other HCPs; and 4. Help for patients and families to advocate for better pain care when they feel their needs are not being met. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses and other HCPs value patient- and family-centered pain care, and wish to empower families to advocate for it when it is sub-optimal.

Nurses' perception of uncertainty regarding suspected pain in people with dementia: A qualitative descriptive study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to qualitatively examine nurses' perception of uncertainty regarding suspected pain in people with dementia (PWD). DESIGN: The study utilized a qualitative descriptive design. PARTICIPANTS: The participants in this study were nurses with a minimum of six months of experience caring for PWD and currently working in a university hospital in Irbid, Jordan. Twenty-five participants were selected using convenience sampling from the selected hospital. RESULTS: Four major themes and 12 subthemes relating to nurses' perceptions of uncertainty regarding suspected pain in PWD emerged. The main themes were (a) the culture-bound nature of uncertainty regarding suspected pain in PWD, (b) dimensions of uncertainty regarding suspected pain in PWD, (c) indicators of uncertainty regarding suspected pain in PWD, and (d) assessment methods of uncertainty to suspected pain in PWD. Moreover, for each major theme, different subthemes were developed. CONCLUSIONS: It is crucial to address factors influencing -nurses' uncertainty regarding suspected pain in PWD to improve pain assessment and management in PWD. Additionally, the study identified five indicators of uncertainty: complicated decision-making, knowledge deficit, bias, intuition, and misconceptions. Effective assessment methods, such as semi-structured interviews and simulated assessments, should be employed to evaluate uncertainty accurately. By addressing these issues and utilizing appropriate assessment approaches, healthcare professionals can enhance pain management for individuals with dementia.

A dor como 5º sinal vital: atuação da equipe de enfermagem no hospital privado com gestão do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) / Pain as 5th vital sign: role of the nursing staff in a private hospital with management of Basic Health Unit

Objetivo - Classificar a dor como 5º sinal vital sugere que sua avaliação seja automática, como outros sinais vitais. Sendo necessário que a equipe de enfermagem seja conhecedora de sua responsabilidade frente ao paciente com dor, avaliando, fazendo intervenções adequadas. O objetivo do estudo foi verificar se a dor é abordada sistematicamente como 5º sinal vital. Métodos - Trata-se de pesquisa do tipo descritiva, exploratória, correlacional com abordagem quantitativa na unidade de clinica médica de um hospital privado com gestão do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), de uma cidade do interior de São Paulo. Os sujeitos foram 50 pacientes e 50 membros da equipe de enfermagem que concordaram em participar da pesquisa. Foram utilizados quatro instrumentos para coleta de dados, dois para os pacientes e dois para a equipe de enfermagem. Resultados - Os resultados apontaram uma população predominante do sexo masculino com internação em clinica cirúrgica, evidenciou-se que eles consideram que são prontamente atendidos quando estão com dor, porém nunca foram avaliados sistematicamente.A equipe de enfermagem teve predominância pelo sexo feminino, auxiliares e técnicos de enfermagem, com média de tempo de formado de 5 anos, relatam que atendem prontamente o paciente com dor, o método mais utilizado para a avaliação da dor é o relato verbal, somente 52% a avalia juntamente com os SSVV. Conclusões - As instituições devem treinar e/ou criar comissões para o controle da dor, mostrando a importância de sua verificação junto com os SSVV diversas vezes ao dia, evitando o sofrimento do paciente.

Objective - Rating pain as the 5th vital sign suggests that pain assessment is automatic, as well as other vital signs. There is need for the nursing staff is cognizant of its responsibility towards the patient with pain, evaluating, making appropriate interventions to alleviate it and providing humane treatment. The aim of this study was to determine if the pain is addressed systematically as the 5th vital sign. Methods - This is a type of descriptive research, exploratory, correlational and quantitative approach to an emergency medical clinic of a private hospital with management of Basic Health Unit, a city in the interior of São Paulo. The subjects were 50 patients and 50 members of the nursing staff who agreed to participate. We used four instruments to collect data for two patients and two to the nursing staff. Results - Results show that the population is predominantly male, with internment in clinical, surgical instrument used in patients showed that they consider that they are readily seen when they are in pain, but have never been systematically evaluated in relation to the size of this pain. The nursing staff was predominantly adult female assistants and nursing technicians, with an average length of education for 5 years, report that readily meets the patient in pain, however, the predominant method of pain assessment is the verbal report, only 52% rate the pain along with the SSVV. Conclusions - The institutions should train and / or set up committees for pain control, thus showing the importance of verifying the pain along with the SSVV several times a day, this way the medical staff can determine the correct medication and dosage for the treatment adequate pain, avoiding the suffering of the patient.