title: Managing pain in the older person.
abstract: The UK population is ageing and a significant proportion of older people experience persistent pain. However, pain assessment in this group can be challenging, particularly when the older person has cognitive or communication impairment. Nurses working in primary and secondary care should take a more proactive role to help overcome patient, professional and institutional barriers to pain assessment and management. This article examines the age-related physiological changes that complicate the prescribing and administering of analgesic drugs in older patients and necessitate careful patient monitoring. It outlines the principles of medication administration for pain management in older people and provides examples of assessment tools that can be used in older patients.
authors.affiliation: Pain Management, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chapman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000698:Analgesia / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications; D003144:Communication Barriers; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011287:Prejudice; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics