Pain, Medications, and Sleep Problems Among Residents in Long-Term Care Institutions

INTRODUCTION. An important goal of long-term care institutions is the maintenance of the best possible quality of life. Pain identification and management is a very important aspect of quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pain, the number of used medications, and sleep problems among residents in long-term care institutions. METHODS. The study was performed in 8 long-term care institutions for the elderly in Kaunas region, Lithuania. Every third resident was included in the study. In total, 252 residents were examined. Pain was assessed according to the Pain Scale and the Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument (interRAI) Questionnaire. The number of used medications was identified from prescription sheets. Sleep problems were assessed by the Long-Term Care Facility interRAI Questionnaire. RESULTS. Of all studied residents, 44.8% reported pain: mild pain was reported by 24.2%, moderate by 18.7%, and severe by 2.0% of the residents. No pain was reported by 48.1% of women and 67.0% of men. Half of the residents (50.8%) aged 85 and more did not report pain. Residents aged 85 and more reported pain as acceptable and required no treatment or changes in current pain management. Intermittent pain was reported by 75.2% of the residents. Nearly half of all the studied residents (43.3%) who suffered from pain used 4 or more different medications. Of those who reported pain, 64.6% had sleep problems. CONCLUSIONS. About half of the residents in long-term care institutions suffered from pain of different intensity. Women and residents aged 75 and older reported daily pain problems more frequently. Residents who reported pain had severe polypragmasy and sleep problems.

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