{"title":"Challenges of assessing pain in people with dementia: a systematised literature review.","authors":"Samantha Joyce Bonser","doi":"10.7748/nop.2025.e1518","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This systematised literature review explored the challenges faced by healthcare professionals when assessing pain in people with dementia. A comprehensive search of six databases for qualitative studies published between 2018 and 2023, followed by a rigorous study selection, enabled the author to identify six relevant studies. The main challenges identified included communication issues arising from cognitive impairment; difficulties stemming from a lack of experience in dementia care and lack of familiarity with individual patients; and limited awareness and inconsistent use of pain assessment tools. Addressing these barriers through enhanced education and training, clear guidelines and a strengthened commitment to person-centred care is crucial for improving the accuracy of pain assessments in people with dementia and therefore enhancing quality of life in this vulnerable population group.</p>","PeriodicalId":94162,"journal":{"name":"Nursing older people","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nursing older people","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.7748/nop.2025.e1518","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This systematised literature review explored the challenges faced by healthcare professionals when assessing pain in people with dementia. A comprehensive search of six databases for qualitative studies published between 2018 and 2023, followed by a rigorous study selection, enabled the author to identify six relevant studies. The main challenges identified included communication issues arising from cognitive impairment; difficulties stemming from a lack of experience in dementia care and lack of familiarity with individual patients; and limited awareness and inconsistent use of pain assessment tools. Addressing these barriers through enhanced education and training, clear guidelines and a strengthened commitment to person-centred care is crucial for improving the accuracy of pain assessments in people with dementia and therefore enhancing quality of life in this vulnerable population group.