Prevalence and management of pain, by race and dementia among nursing home residents: United States, 2004.

Data from the National Nursing Home Survey, 2004. About one-quarter of all nursing home residents reported or showed signs of pain. Nonwhite residents and residents with dementia were less likely to report or show signs of pain compared with white residents and residents without dementia. Nonwhite residents with dementia were least likely, and white residents without dementia were most likely to report or show signs of pain. Forty-four percent of nursing home residents with pain received neither standing orders for pain medication nor special services for pain management (i.e., appropriate pain management). Among residents with dementia and pain, nonwhite residents were more likely than white residents to lack appropriate pain management.