Abstract
This study aimed to assess validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC-T). The individuals who met inclusion criteria of the study were in patients of a hospital and a long-term care facility. Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE), Cornell Dementia Depression Scale (CDDS), Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), visual analogue scale (VAS), and PACSLAC-T were administered to all subjects. The scales were repeated with an interval of two weeks for test–retest reliability. A total of 112 patients with dementia were included in the study. The intraclass correlation coefficient ICC for test–retest reliability of the PACSLAC-T was 0.713 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.486–0.843. The Cronbach’s α coefficient for total PACSLAC-T was 0.842 for test and 0.888 for retest, which indicated substantial internal consistency. In convergent validity, there were significant correlations between PACSLAC-T total score VAS (r = 0.684, P < 0.001), while no correlation was found between PACSLAC-T total score and CDDS (r = 0.127, P = 0.094), and GDS (r = 0.096, P = 0.167). Also, significant correlations were found between PACSLAC-T total score and MMSE (r = –0.468, P = 0.016). This study showed that PACSLAC-T could be a promising tool for the management of pain in older adults with limited communication skills.
Highlights
Having a great impact on quality of life, functionality, and medical health of the older adults, pain is set by the American Pain Society as the fifth most important symptom that needs to be taken into account [1]
Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE), Cornell Dementia Depression Scale (CDDS), Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), visual analogue scale (VAS), and PACSLAC-T were administered to all subjects
There were significant correlations between PACSLAC-T total score VAS (r = 0.684, P < 0.001), while no correlation was found between PACSLAC-T total score and CDDS (r = 0.127, P = 0.094), and GDS (r = 0.096, P = 0.167)
Summary
Having a great impact on quality of life, functionality, and medical health of the older adults, pain is set by the American Pain Society as the fifth most important symptom that needs to be taken into account [1]. Pain is generally overlooked by the older adults, as it is believed to be an inevitable consequent of aging. They report the severity of their pain as one of the age-related problems [2]. As it is understated in the older adults, pain is generally undertreated as well [3]. Believing that pain goes along with aging results in treatment failure especially in older adults with cognitive impairment [4]. Since older adults with dementia have further difficulties in expressing their symptoms as a result of their physical and cognitive impairments, it is important for health care providers to appropriately assess their pain [6]
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