Pain assessment in cognitive impairment

摘要

Pain may adversely affect cognition through its effects on mood and sleep, and chronic pain has been associated with brain atrophy. Studies suggest that chronic pain is undertreated in cognitively impaired people. Pain assessment should involve direct enquiry with the patient; where this is not possible, a proxy history from a caregiver or nurse should be obtained, and observational scales may also be useful. This report is adapted from paineurope 2014; Issue 1,