The Inter-Rater Reliability of the Observation Instrument for Assessing Pain in Elderly With Dementia: An Investigation in the Long-Term Care Setting

Abstract

Background and Purpose: The Observation Instrument for Assessing Pain in Elderly With Dementia (BISAD) was developed in Germany. The instrument demonstrated high interrater reliability values for the original French version. So far, there are no results to that effect in the Austrian long-term care setting available. The objective of this study was to investigate agreement and inter-rater reliability of BISAD in residents with dementia. Methods: A quantitative multicenter-descriptive cross-sectional design with a convenience sample of 71 residents. Results: Analysis of all eight items demonstrated fair to moderate concordance. Absolute agreement of the total value was 25.32%. Subtotals of the observation before mobilization was 52.11%, and during mobilization 32.39%. Conclusion: The reliability analysis shows that the items are less reliable. Currently, BISAD does not make a reliable contribution to clinical decision making in the tested setting.