Cognitive status and use of analgesics and anxiolytics in residents of nursing homes in the Czech Republic

BACKGROUND: The treatment of pain and treatment of anxiety are two of the most complex issues in nursing homes worldwide, mainly because of the large numbers of people with cognitive impairment who reside in this environment. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the administration of analgesics and anxiolytics to people living in nursing homes, taking into account cognitive status. METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, we used data from 404 residents who lived in nine randomly selected nursing homes in the Czech Republic and participated in the Czech-Austrian Long-Term Care Research Project called DEMDATA. Information about medication administration was obtained from medical records. Cognitive impairment was evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination, and pain was measured by the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia. To measure anxiety, we used the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale in residents with severe-to-moderate dementia and also the standardized questionnaire EuroQol in other residents. RESULTS: In all, 68% (95% CI 62–74) of residents with pain did not receive any analgesic medication and 31% (95% CI 25–38) of residents were administered some analgesics and continued to report pain. The lowest reported occurrence of pain, as well as the lowest prevalence of analgesic administration, was in residents with moderate-to-severe dementia. We found that an alarming percentage of residents in the nursing homes were not treated sufficiently. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that treatment effects should be better monitored.