Nurses may be able to reduce pain for nursing home residents thanks to a new pain management program, according to a new clinical investigation.
The investigation, led by a researcher at the University of Basel in Switzerland, evaluated the effectiveness of a newly implemented pain management program within nursing homes. Pain-related outcomes improved for residents, along with significant improvements in “average pain” and “worst pain.”
Even better news: More than 70% of the nursing home workers said the program’s guidelines were practical, while 79% said the program matched their idea of a good pain treatment plan.
Researchers implemented the pain management program at four nursing homes in Switzerland and 43 residents self-reported their pain intensity over a 24-hour period. Researchers also asked nursing home workers also assess the program’s pain management guideline and effectiveness for the investigation.
Elements of the program included implementing a contextually adapted pain management guideline, interactive training workshops for all workers and specifically trained pain champions.
The findings were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
