Prevalence of Pain Among Postacute and Chronic Care Residents

Pain prevalence'characterized as moderate or severe in the past 7 days or excruciating at any time in the past week'is common to both postacute and chronic care nursing home residents.

Figure 2.22. Percent of nursing home residents reporting pain, by type of resident, 2002 and 2003

[D]

Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Minimum Data Set (see http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Include/DataSection/Questions/SearchCriteria.asp).

• Between 2002 and 2003, pain prevalence declined 12% for postacute residents and 39% for chronic care residents (Figure 2.22).
• State variation of pain prevalence narrowed for both groups of residents, particularly for the chronic care population, which declined by half, from 22 percentage points (7% to 29%) in 2002 to about 10 percentage points (3% to 12%) in 2003.
• A study of the CMS Nursing Home Quality Initiative compared nursing homes participating in intensive quality improvement efforts against facilities that did not. Between the second quarter of 2002 and the fourth quarter of 2003, it was found:
  • For chronic residents' pain, a relative decline of 46% for the intensive group compared with a 33% decline in the nonintensive group (CMS, 2004; unpublished QIO data).
  • For postacute residents' pain, a relative decline of 17% for the intensive group compared with a 9% decline in the nonintensive group.

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