Staff Training for Pain Management in Dementia: A Pilot Study v1.1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Staff Training Intervention for Pain Management in Dementia: A Pilot Study in Residential Care Homes
IRAS ID
150893
Contact name
Aimee Spector
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2014/04/41, UCL Data Protection Registration
Research summary
Pain is undertreated in older adults, particularly in people living with dementia. The difficulties with abstract thought and lack of language associated with cognitive impairment in dementia present a substantial barrier to pain self-report and to other pain assessment. Recent research (Hunter et al., 2013) has shown a relationship between beliefs about personhood and intended approaches to dementia care among care staff, specifically increased willingness to provide an appropriate pain intervention. Personhood is defined as "a status that is bestowed upon one human being, by others, in the context of relationship… impl[ying] recognition, respect, and trust” (Kitwood, 1997).
There are currently no pain management interventions focusing on personhood reported in the literature. The current project seeks to design an intervention for dementia care staff which builds upon the work of Hunter et al., (2013) and focuses on enhancing beliefs of personhood alongside training in the application of current best practice for assessing pain in dementia.
The intervention will be developed through systematic review of the literature, and consultation with professional experts, service users, and carers. The current study will serve as a feasibility (pilot) study and will therefore test the acceptability of the intervention design, examine recruitment and dropout, and establish sample size for future, larger studies. It also aims to examine whether the intervention leads to improvements in pain assessment and treatment practices and a subsequent reduction in residents' pain levels.
All staff participants will receive the same intervention, which will take place at the care homes. Staff will assess residents' pain levels using a behavioural observation measure before and after attending the training intervention and this will be the primary outcome variable. Indirect measures (such as interview and questionnaires) will also be used to indicate changes in the clinical practice.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1084
Date of REC Opinion
7 Aug 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion