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Palliative care in dementia: literature review of nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain assessment
Burns M, McIlfatrick S.. International journal of palliative nursing, 2015-08-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Pain is prevalent among older people, yet is often under-recognised and undertreated in people with dementia. The nurse has a central role in identifying and appropriately assessing pain in order to provide effective treatment. Research however suggests there are significant deficits in this area. Aim To explore the evidence on nurses' knowledge and attitudes to pain assessment in older people with dementia. Design A systematic narrative review of peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2014. Data sources Seven electronic data bases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Wiley, Pubmed, ProQuest and OVID) were searched and articles focusing on nurses knowledge and attitudes on pain assessment towards people with dementia. Methods Research participants within the studies reviewed were to include registered nurses involved in the assessment and management of pain in older adults with dementia from across all healthcare settings (e.g. dementia units, nursing homes, community and acute settings). Results Data were systematically analysed from 11 papers. Using an inductive approach for thematic content analysis informed by the theory of planned behaviour, five themes were identified. These included: 1) Challenges in diagnosing pain in dementia 2) Inadequacies of pain assessment tools 3) Time constraints and workload pressures 4) Lack of interdisciplinary teamwork and communication 5) Training and education. Conclusion Nurses play a key role in the effective management of pain through the use of pain assessment tools, behavioural observation, and analgesic choice. Pain assessment in dementia remains challenging for nurses due to the complexity and individualisation of pain behaviours. The accessibility of appropriate training, workforce stability and a standardised approach to pain assessment are key to the successful management of pain in older people with dementia.
Key findings
- Research however suggests there are significant deficits in this area.
- Results Data were systematically analysed from 11 papers.
Study details
- Study designnarrative review
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported and studied in people because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 33 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 57 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (International journal of palliative nursing) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 12 / 12 | A systematic review of all the studies on the question (from PubMed type “Systematic Review”) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2015 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 26312536) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 33 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 33 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 57 out of 100. |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Burns, M., & McIlfatrick, S. (2015). Palliative care in dementia: literature review of nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain assessment. International journal of palliative nursing. https://doi.org/10.12968/ijpn.2015.21.8.400
Vancouver
Burns M, McIlfatrick S. Palliative care in dementia: literature review of nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain assessment. International journal of palliative nursing. 2015. doi:10.12968/ijpn.2015.21.8.400. PMID: 26312536.
BibTeX
@article{burns2015-26312536,
author = {Burns, M. and McIlfatrick, S.},
title = {{Palliative care in dementia: literature review of nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards pain assessment}},
journal = {International journal of palliative nursing},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.12968/ijpn.2015.21.8.400},
pmid = {26312536},
url = {https://doi.org/10.12968/ijpn.2015.21.8.400}
}
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