Assessment of discomfort in advanced Alzheimer patients
Ann C. Hurley(Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital), Beverly J. Volicer(University of Massachusetts Lowell), Patricia Hanrahan(Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital), Susan Crocker Houde(Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital), Ladislav Volicer(Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center)
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Abstract
An objective scale for measuring discomfort in noncommunicative patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease was empirically generated from the perspectives of nursing staff practicing on special care Alzheimer units and was judged to have content validity. On the basis of a pilot test, the discomfort scale was reduced to nine items. Quantifiable scoring procedures and a rater training program were developed. The scale (DS-DAT) was tested longitudinally for 6 months with 82 subjects at two sites. Psychometric properties, measurement issues, and recommendations for use in practice and research are discussed.
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