title: Pain management in the elderly.
abstract: Persistent pain in older adults is common, and associated with substantial morbidity. Optimal management starts with assessment, including pain presence, intensity, characteristics, and interference; painful conditions; pain behaviors; pain-related morbidity; pain treatments; and coping style. Treatment incorporates analgesics demonstrated to decrease pain and improve a patient's sense of well-being. The World Health Organization's 3-step pain ladder is widely accepted and adopted for selecting analgesics among patients with non-cancer pain. Shared decision making is essential to balance the benefits and burdens of analgesics. This article reviews pain assessment/management for older adults, focusing on commonly used analgesics.
authors.affiliation: Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 S.Maryland avenue, Chicago, IL 60537, USA.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malec
authors.affiliation: VITAS Healthcare, 201 South Biscayne Boulevard Miami, Miami, FL 33131, USA. Electronic address: jshega@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Joseph W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Shega
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000082:Acetaminophen
keywords: Older adult; Pain; Pain assessment; Pain management