Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Corso di laurea in infermieristica - Sede di Modena

Abstract

The aim of the thesis is to identify and analyze the scales used for the assessment of pain in patients with dementia. It was conducted literature review on the main Databases (PubMed, UpToDate, Google). Dementia is a chronic disease that affects the elderly, resulting in physical, psychological but also social . Older people with cognitive impairment were 1.5 more likely not to receive treatment than those who are cognitively intact. Since one of the characteristics of the patient with dementia is not to explain their pain, it is necessary that the nurse uses cutting-edge scales and through non-verbal communication, facial expressions, vocalizations is established the presence and intensity of pain experienced . It is important that those who assist a person with dementia trying to figure out if this person feels pain or not, because often these type of patients are unable to report it. It is clear that the time of the assessment nurse requires technical skills (choice of the assessment tool), interpersonal skills (ability to explain the instrument and instruct the person being cared for); active listening skills (confidence in the story of the person); capacity of careful observation to detect pain in persons not able to communicate. In this latest decade have been developed and studied many observational scales to detect pain in patients with dementia obviating the difficulties of communication. The rationale of these tools is based on the fact that the pain is manifested through behaviors and non-verbal signs, often non-specific with respect to our coherent network of cross-references (eg, agitation, restlessness, whining, crying, screaming, bustle, insomnia).