Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Published on Thu Jan 10, 2013 PDF

Even nonaccredited nursing facilities can  benefit from the Joint Commission on Accreditation  of Healthcare Organizations’ pain standards,  which serve as a blueprint for a pain  management program. JCAHO requires facilities  to not only evaluate the effectiveness of individual interventions in relieving a resident’s pain, but also the overall program. The standards call on long-term care facilities to use the following strategies.

• Recognize the right of residents to appropriate assessment and management of pain.
• Assess the existence and, if so, the nature and intensity of pain in all residents.
• Record the assessment’s results in a way that facilitates regular reassessment and follow-up.
• Determine and assure staff competency in pain assessment and management and address these topics during staff orientation.
• Establish policies and procedures that support the appropriate prescription or ordering of effective pain medications.
• Educate residents and their families about effective pain management.
• Assess resident needs for pain symptom management as part of the discharge planning process.