Methods of pain assessment in residents of long-term care facilities: a pilot study.

Objectives: Structured programs for routine pain assessment and treatment are necessary to optimize care for residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). A pilot study was designed to develop, implement, and evaluate a system for pain assessment and monitoring in a LTCF. Additional goals were to determine whether a verbal and/or non-verbal tool adequately assess pain in residents of LTCFs and whether the pharmacologic therapy for pain changes with the implementation of a pain assessment and monitoring system.