Dementia care
pain using the APS. They were selected based on their previous experience, training in dementia and APS pain assessment, familiarity with residents and knowledge of their typical and atypical behaviours. The participants were from a UK care home and selected using opportunity sampling. Informed consent for their participation in the study was obtained through their personal consultee, legal guardian, or power of attorney.19
The
University of Derby College Research Ethics Committee and the NHS Research Ethics Committee granted ethical approval for the research. For each participant, baseline Mini-
Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were collected. Paired pain assessments were done by two assessors independently at rest and immediately post-movement. The two assessors were blinded to each other’s assessment results. These assessments were done over a period of 16 weeks, and once all paired pain assessments were completed, final MMSE assessments was also collected for each participant. In total, 302 paired assessments
were done for 22 participants living with dementia. A total of 179 assessments were done at rest and 123 immediately post-movement. These participants had a variety of dementia diagnoses, pain conditions and demographic characteristics. At time of enrolment, three participants were diagnosed with moderate dementia, whereas the rest were diagnosed with severe dementia.
Findings
Results of this study indicated that there was a ‘positive significant correlation between overall PainChek pain scores and overall APS pain scores (r = 0.818, N = 302, p < .001, one-tailed), satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.810), moderate single measure intraclass correlation (ICC = 0.680) and substantial inter-rater agreement (κ = 0.719).’ The findings provided further
evidence of PainChek as a suitable pain assessment instrument for individuals living with moderate-to-severe dementia, with research confirming its previously reported validity and reliability from Australian studies.20, 21, 22
Moreover, PainChek consistently demonstrated
these properties throughout the study, both when used to assess pain at rest as well as post-movement.
The study also concludes it ‘has the capacity to empower caregivers to accurately assess, treat and manage pain in care homes. As such, PainChek has the potential to support healthcare providers to improve quality of life in the population with dementia.’
The future of digital pain assessment in UK social care The widespread availability of digital technology, coupled with advancements in AI and facial recognition, has unlocked a plethora of possibilities and opportunities for more accurate pain assessment for care home residents living with dementia.
Knowledge is power when it comes
to pain assessment, and the use of technology to generate and collect meaningful data holds the key to addressing the shortfalls in pain assessment, and helps stakeholders to better understand the individual needs of each person living with dementia. PainChek provides carers with real-
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December 2021 •
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
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