Search

Valid and reliable measurement tools are necessary for pain assessment among the elderly with dementia. This study aimed to translate the Mahoney Pain Scale (MPS) into Persian and evaluate its psychometric properties among Iranian elderly with dementia. In this methodological study, after translating and assessing the face and content validity of MPS, 100 elderly with dementia were selected via convenience sampling from nursing homes and clinics in Kashan in 2018-19; then, MPS was completed for them both at rest and during a movement pain protocol. MPS was assessed by exploratory factor analysis, known-group comparison, convergent validity, internal consistency, equivalence, and stability. The factor analysis revealed a one-factor structure, which explained 57.11% of the total variance. The Persian MPS differentiated patients with and without known painful conditions, as well as pain at rest and during the movement pain protocol (p < .0001). There was a significant positive correlation between the scores of MPS and PACSLAC-II (r = .87, p < .0001). The Cronbach's α, intraclass correlation coefficient and standard error of measurement of MPS were .91, .79, and ±1.37, respectively. As a valid and reliable tool, the Persian MPS can be used for pain assessment among Iranian elderly with dementia.

Background/aim: A scale for behavioural pain assessment is useful for the detection and determination of pain in the elderly with dementia. This study aimed to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of Doloplus-2 in the elderly with dementia in Iran., Materials and Methods: In this methodological study, after translation and evaluating the face and content validity of Doloplus-2, 100 elderly people were selected by the convenience sampling method in Kashan, 2018–2019. Exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, and known-groups comparison were applied to determine construct validity. Reliability was also assessed through internal consistency, equivalence, and stability methods were used. The ceiling and floor effects were also examined. Data were analyzed using the SPSS-v16 and via Mann-Whitney U test, Cronbach’s alpha, Spearman-Brown, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)., Results: The scale’s content validity index was 0.95%, and the item impact of each item was above 1.5. Factor analysis identified 2 “social- functional” and “conventional subjective-objective” factors in scale that altogether were able to explain 76% of the total variance. The results revealed that P-Doloplus-2 could discriminate between the 2 groups of elderly with and without known chronic painful diseases (P < 0.0001). There was a significant positive correlation between P-Doloplus-2 and PACSLAC-II-IR scores (r = 0.878, P < 0.0001). Cronbach’s alpha, ICC, and standard error of measurement for the scale were 0.950, 0.864, and ± 1.759, respectively. The frequency of minimum and maximum possible score of scale was less than 15%., Conclusion: The Persian version of Doloplus-2 can be considered as a valid and reliable scale for pain assessment in the elderly with dementia., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest., (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)

Dementia screening tests need to have acceptable sensitivity and specificity. The current study aimed to determine the cutoff point of the Persian Cognitive State Test (P-COST) and test its diagnostic accuracy. The study was conducted using the known-groups method. A purposive sample of 50 patients with dementia and 150 older adults without dementia was recruited in Kashan, Iran. The reference standard included clinical interviewing and findings of a computerized tomography scan. The P-COST was the index test. Mean P-COST scores of the two groups differed significantly (p < 0.001). The P-COST is a sensitive and precise test for assessing cognitive state and thus can be used for dementia screening and monitoring of older adults' health., (Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.)