The authors of a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing evaluated “analgesic use in hip fracture patients with dementia during the first two postoperative days as reported by nurses.” The study enrolled 269 nurses who worked with older adult hip fracture patients in orthopedic clinics/hospitals. Each nurse completed a questionnaire that assessed the total number of analgesics administered to dementia patients after hip fracture surgery. The study results indicate that “paracetamol and strong opioids administered orally were the most commonly used types of analgesics in patients with dementia,” and that “further studies are needed to find out whether pain is appropriately and adequately treated among dementia patients.”
