Pain Behaviors and Treatments in Hispanic Nursing Home Residents
Author Information
Author(s): Nielsen Natalia, Castañeda-Avila Maira, Lapane Kate
Primary Institution: University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Hypothesis
English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanics are less likely to have nonverbal pain behaviors recorded and more likely to have no pain management compared to non-Hispanic English-speaking White residents.
Conclusion
Hispanic residents in nursing homes are less likely to have their pain behaviors documented and to receive pain management compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts.
Supporting Evidence
- Hispanic residents were less likely to have vocal complaints documented (17.1% H-E, 18.5% H-S) compared to NHW-E (29.1%).
- Facial expressions of pain were documented less frequently among Hispanic residents (15.0% H-E, 18.3% H-S) than NHW-E (20.3%).
- Hispanic residents were less likely to receive any pharmacologic pain intervention (H-E: 47.8%; H-S: 49.1%) compared to NHW-E (59.4%).
Takeaway
In nursing homes, Hispanic residents often don't get the help they need for pain because their pain signs aren't noticed as much as those of White residents.
Methodology
The study used national Minimum Data Set 3.0 data from 2010 to 2020 to compare pain behaviors and treatments across ethnic/language groups using adjusted prevalence ratios.
Potential Biases
Staff may have biases affecting their documentation of pain behaviors among Hispanic residents.
Limitations
The study may not account for all factors influencing pain management and documentation practices.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on newly admitted Hispanic and non-Hispanic English-speaking White residents in U.S. nursing homes.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 1.14-1.19 for H-E; 95% CI: 1.10-1.13 for H-S; 95% CI: 0.83-0.88 for H-E; 95% CI: 0.86-0.90 for H-S.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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