PAINAD scale
Short definition
The PAINAD scale is an observational tool for assessing pain in people with advanced dementia who can no longer say they are in pain, scored from 0 to 10.
In plain language
The rater observes the person for a few minutes and scores five items from 0 to 2: breathing, negative vocalisation, facial expression, body language and consolability. It was developed in the United States in 2003 and has a European Portuguese version, studied in older inpatients. It does not replace clinical assessment: it helps make sure the pain of someone who cannot speak is not missed.
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