🧓 PAINAD (Pain in Advanced Dementia)
UseWhen to use: nonverbal advanced dementia with suspected pain.
StrataHigher totals suggest greater pain distress; trial analgesia when ≥4–6 with context.
LimitsWhen not to use: ignoring delirium/hunger mimics. · Pitfall: scoring only at rest. · Not a sole opioid protocol.
SourcePAINAD (Warden et al.) pain assessment in advanced dementia
This-shift next steps
After scoring: open the scene pack, peer scores, and the matching pathway. Local reference — no HIS write.
Paste the link in Slack, Teams, X, or LinkedIn — the preview image comes from this page’s Open Graph card.
Methodology · worked example, guidelines & full notes
Max 10.
When to use
When to use: nonverbal advanced dementia with suspected pain.
How it works
Five domains ×0–2 (breathing, vocalization, face, body, consolability).
Key points
- Max 10.
- Five behaviors.
- Next: treat cause + stepwise analgesia.
References
- PAINAD (Warden et al.) pain assessment in advanced dementia
Worked calculation
The values below come from this tool's own example placeholders and are computed server-side with the formula shown on this page, so the arithmetic can be checked quickly. It demonstrates how to substitute values only — it is not clinical advice and not a real case.
| Breathing | Occasional labored / short hyperventilation (1) |
|---|---|
| Negative vocalization | Occasional moan/groan / low speech (1) |
| Facial expression | Sad / frightened / frown (1) |
| Body language | Tense / pacing / fidgeting (1) |
| Consolability | Distracted / reassured by voice/touch (1) |
→PAINAD5/10
- Cue：4–6 — moderate; consider analgesia trial
| Breathing | Normal (0) |
|---|---|
| Negative vocalization | None (0) |
| Facial expression | Smiling / inexpressive (0) |
| Body language | Relaxed (0) |
| Consolability | No need to console (0) |
→PAINAD0/10
- Cue：0 — no observed pain behaviors
Verification & sources · governance
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- Does PAINAD (Pain in Advanced Dementia) upload patient data? Where is it calculated?
- Calculation runs locally in the browser; inputs and results are not uploaded. For licensed clinicians only; interpret with history, investigations and local protocols — not a diagnosis or prescription.
- How is PAINAD (Pain in Advanced Dementia) calculated in practice? Can you show a worked example?
- Inputs: Breathing Occasional labored / short hyperventilation (1), Negative vocalization Occasional moan/groan / low speech (1), Facial expression Sad / frightened / frown (1), Body language Tense / pacing / fidgeting (1), Consolability Distracted / reassured by voice/touch (1) → Result: PAINAD 5 /10（Cue: 4–6 — moderate; consider analgesia trial） Inputs: Breathing Normal (0), Negative vocalization None (0), Facial expression Smiling / inexpressive (0), Body language Relaxed (0), Consolability No need to console (0) → Result: PAINAD 0 /10（Cue: 0 — no observed pain behaviors）