Exploring Changes in Prescribing Patterns for Chronic Pain in Long-Term Care Residents Living with Dementia Near the End of Life

Abstract

Chronic pain is undertreated in residents living with dementia. The objectives of this study are to (1) describe the rates of opioid and non-opioid analgesics prescribed to treat chronic severe pain, stratified by dementia status, in LTC residents in their last year of life, and (2) examine differences in the prescription of opioids used to treat chronic severe pain in the last month of life, stratified by their dementia status. Using the Resident Assessment Instrument - Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS) we stratified the cohort according to resident dementia status and identified all use of opioids and non-opioids in the last year of life. The findings from this study indicate that the rates of opioids or non-opioids prescribed to residents in LTC who experienced chronic severe pain did not differ according to dementia status. Adequate pain management in LTC is a complex task that warrants further investigation.