Pain assessment in impaired cognition: observer agreement in a long-term care setting in patients with dementia.

To study the application of the meta-tool Pain Assessment in Impaired Cognition (PAIC) in a clinical setting in patients with moderate to severe dementia. Observational study in five Dutch nursing homes, where residents were observed by nurses or nurse-assistants during rest and movement. Prevalence and observer agreement of individual items were examined.

Pain Assessment in Impaired Cognition (PAIC): content validity of the Dutch version of a new and universal tool to measure pain in dementia.

Objectives: Detection and measurement of pain in persons with dementia by using observational pain measurement tools is essential. However, the evidence for the psychometric properties of existing observational tools remains limited. Therefore, a new meta-tool has been developed: Pain Assessment in Impaired Cognition (PAIC), as a collaborative EU action.