UNC is the second Emergency Department site in the U.S. to participate in the study, thanks to a National Institute on Aging (NIA) grant.
The “NIA IMPACT Collaboratory” pragmatic pilot study aims to improve pain assessment and management in persons living with dementia who receive Emergency Department (ED) care for suspected hip fractures.
Persons living with dementia are commonly unable to communicate their pain, leading to poor pain assessment and management, particularly in late-stage disease. The study will pilot a clinical decision support intervention consisting of an electronic health record prompt for nurses to administer the Pain in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) scoring tool, an objective pain measure developed for persons living with dementia, to improve pain assessment and treatment in the ED.
Dr. Michelle Meyer, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Research for the UNC Department of Emergency Medicine, is the UNC site’s Principal Investigator (PI) for the study. She is joined by UNC co-PIs; Dr. Martin Casey, Assistant Professor; and Dr. Smeet Bhimani, Clinical Assistant Professor.
The overall PI for the study and recipient of the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory pilot award is Dr. Teresita Hogan at the University of Chicago.
Learn more about the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory pilot program via this link.