• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was done to analyze nursing assessment and nursing care for pain in the electronic nursing records for the elderly patients with abdominal pain visiting the Emergency Medical Center. Methods: This study is a descriptive study based on nursing records from January to December 2015. A total of 1155 records for elderly patients with abdominal pain were gathered. Results: The mean age of elderly patients whose records were analyzed was 75.2 years. Analysis of nursing records regarding pain management showed that semi-urgent severity (93.7%), direct emergency room visits (58%), and 6.01 hours of emergency room stay (6.01 hours)were the most frequently documented characteristics of the elderly patients with pain complaints. Recording time of nursing assessment for abdominal patients was 1.01 hour; the average pain intensity was 3.97. The mostly used nursing intervention for abdominal pain was medication (65.1%). There was no record of non-pharmacological pain nursing interventions. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that improving knowledge and nursing practice for pain management is much of necessity. In particular, development of the non-pharmacological nursing interventions for pain is needed. Further research is also imperative to develop and evaluate record systems for pain management that can be used in the emergency room.