Assessment of pain in people living with dementia at the end of life: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: People with dementia may not receive the same quality of palliative care as those with other life-limiting conditions, particularly at end of life (EoL). Aims: To understand the best way to examine pain in people with dementia. Methods: A systematic review of tools to assess pain in patients with dementia near the end of life; PubMed, Medline, Embase, EBSCO Host, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, Psycinfo, PsycArticles and Scopus were searched. Findings: A total of 15 articles were identified, which were qualitatively synthesised. Conclusion: There are a range of pain assessment tools that are appropriate for use in people with dementia, but all 15 studies used a formal tool. A more robust approach is needed to improve the quality of research for measurement and management of pain in this population.