Pain reports and pain medication treatment in nursing home residents with and without dementia.

Aim: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if a diagnosis of dementia influenced pain self-reports and pain medication use in a group of verbally communicative nursing home (NH) residents.

Methods: The study design was a between groups, cross-sectional chart audit and a seven-question structured pain interview comparing outcomes in residents with and without a diagnosis of dementia. The study was carried out at a large metropolitan NH in the southern USA.