MDS Alert

Clip 'N Save:

Check Out These Pain Scales For Residents With Dementia

Best practices call for use of an assessment tool geared toward residents' needs and abilities.

"One size fits all" won't work in finding a pain scale suited to your individual resident. Here's a rundown of what's available for caring for people with cognitive impairment:

Discomfort in Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type (DS-DAT)

Modified DS-DAT

Checklist of Nonverbal Pain Indicators (CNPI)

Assessment of Discomfort in Dementia Protocol (ADD)

Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD)

Pain Assessment for the Dementing Elder (PADE)

The Pain Assessment Scale for Seniors with Severe Dementia (PACSLAC)

Nursing Assistant-Administered Instrument to Assess Pain in Demented Individuals (NOPPAIN)

Review of pain scales by Keela Herr, PhD, RN, professor of nursing at the University of Iowa, and her colleagues. Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Webcast, "Improving MDS Accuracy - Disease Diagnosis, Medications and Health Conditions," at
http://cms.internetstreaming.com.

The above tools are available on the City of Hope Website at
www.coh.org.

Other Articles in this issue of

MDS Alert

View All