Completed Research Project
Testing the feasibility, reliability and validity of two pain assessment tools in residential aged care, refining them for future use
Investigators: Toye,
C., Kristjanson,
L. J.,
Goucke, C. R., Auret, K., Bruce, D., & Schug, S.
Funding: ECU-Industry Collaborative Scheme
($44,106).
Abstract: Testing the feasibility, reliability and validity of two pain assessment tools in residential aged care, refining them for future use. Residents of Australian residential aged care facilities are frail and tend to have multiple health problems, many of which may cause symptoms such as pain. Yet the properties of pain assessment tools that might be suitable for use in residential aged care, wherein the prevalence of dementia is known to be high, have not yet been fully investigated. Until valid, reliable and feasible pain assessment tools are available for use in these settings, rigorous pain prevalence studies cannot be conducted and the clinical management of pain in aged care residents is severely hampered. This study, therefore, is being conducted to test two pain assessment tools in residential aged care facilities, one being an observational tool and the other being a tool obtaining (multidimensional) self reports at interview. Tools refinements will be undertaken, if required, to provide two valid and reliable tools that are feasible for staff to use routinely in residential aged care settings.
