Sammendrag
Aim of investigation: Pain is a well documented problem in the elderly population, especially in the nursing home population. The aims of this study are to describe the presence of pain, pain intensity and prescribed pain medication in elderly patients living in Norwegian nursing homes. Both the ones that can self report their pain and the ones that cannot are included in the study. Variables associated with pain are also described. Methods: Patients 64 years or older from seven nursing homes in Central Norway are included in the study. In total, 307 patients are registered in the seven nursing homes, and 214 (68 %) are participating in this study. Patients are divided into two groups according to their cognitive functioning (Mini Mental Status Examination); the self reported group (SRG) and the proxy rated group (PRG). Pain intensity is measured using a 4 point verbal rating scale for the SRG. Doloplus-2 is used as an observation based tool to assess pain in the PRG. Results: One hundred twenty eight (60%) patients were able to self report their pain. The pain prevalence in the PRG (n=86) was 70%. About 50 % of the SRG (n=128) reported ¿pain now¿. Out of them 45 % (n=29) reported moderate or severe pain intensity. Better cognitive function was associated with higher pain incidence and pain intensity in the SRG (p
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