Journal
INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOGERIATRICS
Volume 27, Issue 2, Pages 322-327Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S1041610214001732
Keywords
analgesia; pain management; geriatrics; emergency departments; musculoskeletal conditions; dementia; mild cognitive impairment
Funding
- Emergency Care Institute, New South Wales, Australia
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Background: Older people who present to the emergency department (ED) often experience a significant delay to analgesia. This study compares the time to analgesia for cognitively impaired and cognitively intact older people diagnosed with a long bone fracture. Methods: The aim of the study was to determine if cognitive impairment is associated with a delayed analgesic response. A 12-month exploratory study, using patient data, was conducted across four EDs. Medical records of 264 patients with long bone fractures were randomly selected. Results: The majority of patients waited longer than 60 minutes for analgesia. The median time to analgesia was longer for the cognitively impaired (149 minutes) compared with cognitively intact (72 minutes; Mann-Whitney U test: p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study suggests that cognitive impairment is a significant risk factor for delayed analgesia response in the ED.
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