Prevalence of frailty and pain in hospitalised adult patients in an acute hospital: A protocol for a point prevalence observational study

Authors

Rosemary Saunders, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Kate Crookes, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Mustafa Atee
Caroline Bulsara
Max K. Bulsara
Christopher Etherton-Beer
Beverley Ewens, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Olivia Gallagher, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Renee M. Graham, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Karen Gullick
Sue Haydon
Kim-Huong Nguyen
Bev O'Connell, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Karla Seaman, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Jeff Hughes

Author Identifier

Rosemary Saunders

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6213-4694

Kate Crookes

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6887-6197

Beverley Ewens

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2008-7214

Olivia Gallagher

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0023-0039

Renee M. Graham

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8725-0296

Bev O'Connell

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9733-5218

Karla Seaman

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4611-9616

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

BMJ Open

Publisher

BMJ Publishing Group

School

Centre for Research in Aged Care / School of Nursing and Midwifery

RAS ID

35936

Funders

Edith Cowan University - Open Access Support Scheme 2021

Ramsay Hospital Research Foundation

Comments

Saunders, R., Crookes, K., Atee, M., Bulsara, C., Bulsara, M. K., Etherton-Beer, C., ... & Hughes, J. (2021). Prevalence of frailty and pain in hospitalised adult patients in an acute hospital: A protocol for a point prevalence observational study. BMJ Open, 11(3), e046138. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046138

Abstract

Introduction Frailty and pain are associated with adverse patient clinical outcomes and healthcare system costs. Frailty and pain can interact, such that symptoms of frailty can make pain assessment difficult and pain can exacerbate the progression of frailty. The prevalence of frailty and pain and their concurrence in hospital settings are not well understood, and patients with cognitive impairment are often excluded from pain prevalence studies due to difficulties assessing their pain. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of frailty and pain in adult inpatients, including those with cognitive impairment, in an acute care private metropolitan hospital in Western Australia.

Methods and analysis A prospective, observational, single-day point prevalence, cross-sectional study of frailty and pain intensity of all inpatients (excluding day surgery and critical care units) will be undertaken. Frailty will be assessed using the modified Reported Edmonton Frail Scale. Current pain intensity will be assessed using the PainChek smart-device application enabling pain assessment in people unable to report pain due to cognitive impairment. Participants will also provide a numerical rating of the intensity of current pain and the worst pain experienced in the previous 24 hours. Demographic and clinical information will be collected from patient files. The overall response rate of the survey will be reported, as well as the percentage prevalence of frailty and of pain in the sample (separately for PainChek scores and numerical ratings). Additional statistical modelling will be conducted comparing frailty scores with pain scores, adjusting for covariates including age, gender, ward type and reason for admission.

DOI

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046138

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License