Pain Reports by Older Hospice Cancer Patients and Family Caregivers: The Role of Cognitive Functioning

摘要

PurposePrior research in nursing homes has shown that cognitive impairment may reduce self-reported pain, but this relation has not been systematically explored among hospice patients. The assessment and treatment of pain is a primary goal of hospice care, and both disease processes and the use of opioid analgesics may lead to cognitive impairment among hospice patients. However, little is known about how cognitive functioning may impact the self-report of pain or the report of care recipient pain by family caregivers.