file-329158626.docx - Running head: PAIN AND THE ELDERLY:...

Running head: PAIN AND THE ELDERLY: METHODOLOGY 1
Pain and the Elderly: Methodology
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PAIN AND THE ELDERLY: METHODOLOGY
Pain and the Elderly: Methodology
This chapter describes the research methods that were used to carry out a literature
review on the assessment and management of pain in older adults. In detail, the research design,
data collection methods, and data analyses are described in this section. This is a qualitative
research methodology that uses a review of the literature.
Purpose of the Study
Studies suggest that the elderly with a diagnosis of mental health illnesses such as
dementia, as well as chronic and acute long-term conditions, often experience pain that goes
unidentified, poorly managed, or poorly identified. Management of pain in geriatrics continues to
challenge nursing and medical healthcare providers (Horgas, 2017). This study aims to
investigate and identify the significant challenges of pain identification, assessment, and
management in geriatric care. The purpose of the study is to:
1. Describe the quality of pain management geriatrics receive in the hospital, under
palliative care when they report pain.
2. Evaluate the assessment methods used to identify the existence and severity of pain in
older adults.
3. Evaluate the relationship between pain assessment methods, management and
intervention, and the clinical outcome of older adults.
The hypotheses of the study are:
1. Older adults experience pain, but it is under-reported due to inadequate screening.
2. Nurses have barriers in pain management assessment in older adults leading to under-
diagnosis. Older patients experience barriers in pain assessment and management in
palliative care.

PAIN AND THE ELDERLY: METHODOLOGY
Research Questions
Research questions are useful in narrowing down the scope of the research. Additionally,
they may also address the social meanings of human construct, meaning they elucidate more on
social psychology in a bid to explain how humans behave as they do. Research questions also
shed light on the different behavior change models that influence the actions of people in
different contexts. In a broad sense, a literature review may include a summary of the evaluation
of different sources, including books, websites, reports, journal articles, and any literary form of
knowledge of the subject. Reviewing such literary sources would diverge from the intended use
of the process of academic writing. For this reason, academic literature from peer-reviewed
journals will be used to include only evidence-based papers. This kind of literature is
documented systematically and can be replicated. Additionally, it deals with conflicting ideas,
arguments, pieces of evidence, and has to be reviewed by peers to maintain objectivity.