Barriers to reporting pain
Several barriers may prevent frail older adults from reporting pain accurately—or reporting it at all.
They include:
• inaccurate beliefs about pain
• desire to maintain a sense of control
• feeling ignored or misunderstood
• inability to communicate the pain experience.
To compound the problem, communication among healthcare providers may be inadequate.
For instance, a patient’s report of pain may not be conveyed to other team members.