title: Pain Assessment in Noncommunicative Adult Palliative Care Patients.
abstract: Palliative care patients who have pain are often unable to self-report their pain, placing them at increased risk for underrecognized and undertreated pain. Use of appropriate pain assessment tools significantly enhances the likelihood of effective pain management and improved pain-related outcomes. This paper reviews selected tools and provides palliative care clinicians with a practical approach to selecting a pain assessment tool for noncommunicative adult patients.
authors: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, 1100 East Leigh Street, PO Box 980567, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. Electronic address: dbmcguire@vcu.edu.
authors: Deborah B
authors: DB
authors: McGuire
authors: Clinical Quality and Safety, University of Maryland Medical Center, 22 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors: Karen Snow
authors: KS
authors: Kaiser
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 South Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors: Mary Ellen
authors: ME
authors: Haisfield-Wolfe
authors: University of Maryland School of Nursing, 655 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors: Florence
authors: F
authors: Iyamu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics
keywords: Noncommunicative or nonverbal patients; Pain assessment; Palliative care