Pharmacological management of pain in older persons.

Objective: Evaluate the efficacy and safety of pharmacological pain management treatments to minimize adverse events and optimize pain relief.

Data Sources: Symposium presentation based on clinical practice and research and current clinical guidelines.

Conclusions: Pain is a common problem among elderly long-term care residents and is vastly undertreated. Even when pain medication is prescribed, often residents do not receive the most appropriate drug, or prescribers fail to adjust the dose and frequency of administration to tailor therapy to the individual's compromised physiology and needs. This places elders at risk, for not only unnecessary suffering, but also for drug toxicity. Consultant pharmacists are in a key position to identify underuse and inappropriate use of analgesic drugs and assist prescribers with individualizing each resident's medication regimen to provide optimal therapeutic outcomes.