title: Better pain management for elders in the intensive care unit.
abstract: By 2040, there will be 70 million people older than 65 years in the United States. Approximately 50% have pain on a daily basis, and research shows that their pain is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Nurses have an obligation to provide state-of-the-art care and advocate for vulnerable older adults in the intensive care unit (ICU). Untreated pain can complicate an ICU stay and delay discharge. This article briefly reviews difficulties in managing pain in ICU patients, suggests creative methods to properly assess pain, and discusses approaches for encouraging elders in ICU to manage their pain effectively.
authors.affiliation: Binta Diallo, BSN, RN, CRRN, CN III, is a clinical nurse III in the neurosurgery ICU at the University of North Carolina Hospital, Chapel Hill. Donald D. Kautz, PhD, RN, is associate professor of nursing at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
authors.forename: Binta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.forename: Donald D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Kautz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D016312:Treatment Refusal; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid