Abbey Pain Scale

What is the Abbey Pain Scale?

The Abbey Pain Scale is a pain management assessment tool designed to recognize and evaluate the severity of pain in patients with cognitive impairment and communication difficulties. More specifically, the Abbey Pain Scale chart was developed to help medical practitioners care for nonverbal patients in the end stages of dementia.

The scale has six categories: Vocalization, Facial Expression, Change in Body Language, Behavioral Change, Physiological Change, and Physical Changes. Written in each category are particular behaviors exhibited by a patient in pain. At the bottom is a final description of the pain severity and type a patient may be experiencing, depending on the obtained score.

It is designed as such because dementia patients at this stage aren't only unable to verbalize their concerns, pinpoint the source of their pain, and request immediate relief. By recognizing their pain early on, practitioners and caretakers can prevent further complications brought about by unaddressed or mismanaged pain, such as further injury, worse dementia symptoms, and depression.

Practitioners, from general practitioners to health care workers, caring for advanced dementia patients or even nonverbal patients who need assistance may benefit from having a copy on hand or nearby.

How does the Abbey Pain Scale template work?

Our template contains both the original Abbey Pain Scale and the Modified Abbey Pain Scale. Here's a quick step-by-step on how to use the Abbey Pain Scale template:

Step 1: Access the template

Click the "Use Template" button on this page to open the template in the Carepatron app's template editor. You can customize it, fill it digitally, or print it from there. Alternatively, you can click "Download" button to obtain a copy of the PDF. Don't forget to fill out the basic information written at the top.

Step 2: Observe the patient

As part of the patient's daily care plan, you must conduct your test when the patient is moving or in the middle of a task. Therefore, it's best to have someone observe while you move the patient or vice versa for accuracy. However, if you're flying solo, you may still conduct the test as long as you mentally note your observations.

Step 3: Fill out the worksheet

Write down the corresponding scores per category in the empty boxes. To get the total score, add all the scores obtained. Afterward, immediately identify the pain severity based on the score and the type of pain according to the severity.

Step 4: Track progress hourly

To determine the effectiveness of the pain relief medication, use the scale template when doing hourly checks. If the pain severity increases or remains unchanged, a GP or other medical practitioner who may help must be called on for consultation.

When to use an Abbey Pain Scale PDF?

The Abbey Pain Scale can be used whenever you require a pain assessment tool. However, similar to other pain scales, you must consider the condition of the patient it's designed for, the duration of tracking, etc. Therefore, it's best when you use an Abbey Pain Scale:

• For those with communication difficulties or cognitive impairment. More specifically, non-verbal patients suffering from dementia.
• For tracking pain when a patient is moving while accomplishing daily activities.
• To identify pain severity, from mild pain to severe pain, alone and not distress or distress caused by pain the patient is experiencing.
• To determine if pain medication is effective hourly for a maximum of 24 hours,

The Abbey Pain Scale is relatively subjective; hence, it's best to use a more comprehensive scale for more detailed assessments or physical examination results.

Benefits of the Free Abbey Pain Scale Template

There are a number of reasons why the Abbey Pain Scale is a well-known and commonly used tool, and its template is even more indispensable for practitioners. Here are a few of them:

Provides quantitive results

By providing quantitative results such as the one on the Abby Pain Scale Template, practitioners in charge of the patient's pain management can be more accurate with intervention, whether that is their approach or even the medication dosage to be administered.

Early recognition

Recognizing a patient with dementia's pain can be challenging, especially if they cannot verbalize their concerns. Hence, when you notice a change in their demeanor, you can immediately utilize the Abbey Pain Scale and intervene before their condition worsens.

Helps track progress

It's recommended that practitioners who observe the patient's condition after medication administration conduct hourly follow-ups to see if the patient's pain improves, worsens, or remains unchanged. With this Abbey Pain Scale Template, you can see the changes at a glance and effortlessly compare scores.

Accessible

Having an Abbey Pain Scale printable accessible to relevant parties will expedite the process from pain recognition to management or treatment, even if multiple practitioners handle it.

Builds synergistic relationships

A handful of people are involved when caring for a non-verbal patient with dementia. However, with accessible templates one can use as a reference, medical practitioners can effortlessly communicate and collaborate on the best care plan for the patient.