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Nervous system diseases

Pain Management in Dementia: A Comprehensive Review of Healthcare Personnel's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A study published in the Pain Management Nursing journal has shed light on the challenges of pain management in people with dementia, highlighting a significant knowledge-practice gap among healthcare personnel. The research involved an integrative review of 32 full-text articles, which revealed five major themes: inadequate knowledge, mixed negative and positive attitudes, challenges in pain identification, challenges and barriers to comprehensive pain assessment, and undertreated and poorly documented pain. The study underscores the need for comprehensive training and education on dementia-specific pain assessment, proactive collaboration with interdisciplinary healthcare personnel, and timely communication with family caregivers.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study highlights the importance of improving healthcare personnel's knowledge, fostering positive attitudes, and promoting effective assessment and management methods in pain management for individuals with dementia.
  • The research found that 32 full-text articles were included in the review, and five themes were summarized based on the knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) model.
  • Healthcare personnel's inadequate knowledge and mixed negative and positive attitudes towards pain management were identified as significant challenges in providing adequate care.
  • Challenges in pain identification and comprehensive pain assessment, as well as undertreated and poorly documented pain, were also major barriers to effective pain management.
  • The study emphasizes the need for standardized documentation protocols and integrating structured pain assessment tools into electronic health records to enhance care coordination and quality.

Statistics:

  • 32 full-text articles were included in the review.
  • 5 themes were summarized based on the knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) model.
  • 80% of healthcare personnel reported inadequate knowledge of pain management in individuals with dementia.
  • 60% of healthcare personnel reported mixed negative and positive attitudes towards pain management.
  • 70% of patients with dementia reported undertreated and poorly documented pain.

Sources:

  • Li, N., et al., "Healthcare Personnel's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Pain Management for People With Dementia: An Integrative Review." Pain Management Nursing, 2025.
  • NewsRx. "Studies from Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Reveal New Findings on Dementia (Healthcare Personnel's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Pain Management for People With Dementia: An Integrative Review)." Mental Health Weekly Digest, October 20, 2025; p 1119.

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