Pain and cognitive impairment, especially dementia among health care professionals in Spain: A survey on current practice, professional concerns on problems experienced and solutions for its improvement

Gimenez-Llort L ; Bernal ML (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Docking, R. ; Torres-Lista, V. ; Muntsant-Soria, A. ; Schofield, P. A.

Resumen: Global burden by the aging population is projected to happen in the coming decades and demands efforts to counteract its socio-economic impact but, mostly, that on the Quality of Life of patients, caregivers and families. Etiological diversity and disease complexity render 'Pain in Cognitive Impairment, especially Dementia' a health subject with clear snail effect (poor and slow diagnosis in frail elderly patients) which can benefit of a turtle effect (comprehensive multidisciplinary management) and the development of more reliable tools. COST Action TD1005 developed PAIC15, a new observation instrument that will help health and care staff to identifying and measure pain in patients with cognitive impairment, especially dementia. In the present work, we aimed to conduct a survey in Spain to estimate the implementation and use of pain scoring systems in patients with cognitive impairment/dementia and the reliability given to them. On the other hand, we also aimed to detect the current problems that Spanish health/care staff are encountering and, learning from their experience, what would help to improve its management. For this purpose, the ‘Questionnaire about the use of standards/guidelines, instruments and professional's profile' designed by COST Action-TD1005 Nursing and Care-WG2 was translated into Spanish and sent online to all the hospitals registered at the Spanish National Health System, nursing homes and day care centers (2015-2017). 'Open questions' point out pain management at advanced stages of dementia and severe impairment in mental disorders as those raising concern among health professionals. Difficulties are considered mostly due to 1) low feasible and 2) time consuming tools, and they aware about poor standardization, guidelines/recommendations that, otherwise, would be helpful in front of cognitive impairment or dementia complexity and heterogeneity. There are little chances for multidisciplinary team meetings, but those who had them report high satisfaction with their knowledge and management of pain. The conclusions point at new policies based on the demonstration of the sensibility of scales that measure pain in dementia as needed to increase the confidence of the professionals on them. Efforts to establish more feasible instruments and policies together with education are key targets of our future directions in Spain.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1017/S1041610219001339

Año: 2019

Publicado en: International Psychogeriatrics 31, S1 (2019), 53
ISSN: 1041-6102

Factor impacto JCR: 2.94 (2019)

Categ. JCR: PSYCHOLOGY rank: 19 / 77 = 0.247 (2019) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: GERONTOLOGY rank: 7 / 36 = 0.194 (2019) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL rank: 36 / 131 = 0.275 (2019) - Q2 - T1
Categ. JCR: PSYCHIATRY rank: 62 / 154 = 0.403 (2019) - Q2 - T2
Categ. JCR: GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY rank: 23 / 51 = 0.451 (2019) - Q2 - T2

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 1.173 - Clinical Psychology (Q1) - Psychiatry and Mental Health (Q1) - Gerontology (Q1) - Geriatrics and Gerontology (Q1)

Tipo y forma: Congress (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Farmacología (Dpto. Farmacología y Fisiolog.)