Honor Society of Nursing Launches Resourceful Geriatric Pain
Web Site
To provide nurses working in long-term care environments access to resources on
assessing and managing resident pain problems, a new Web site—
www.geriatricpain.org—has been developed. This site, a one-stop resource, shares free
best-practice tools and resources that support recommendations for good pain assessment
and management in older adults, including implementation of quality improvement
processes focused on pain management.
This Web site was launched by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International’s (STTI) Center for
Nursing Excellence in Long-Term Care in collaboration with experts from five of the nine Harford Centers of
Geriatric Nursing Excellence; nurses from skilled nursing facilities; senior nurse executives from national
providers; and representatives from trade associations and geriatric consumer groups.
“Research has shown that a large percentage of nursing home residents suffer from unrecognized and
undertreated pain problems,” said Keela Herr, RN, PhD, FAAN, AGSF, leader of the work group responsible for
the Web site’s content. “There are many tools and resources available to help assess and treat pain in this
population, but it is challenging for busy nursing home staff to research and evaluate the quality of existing
resources. This Web site provides guidance for a best practice approach to improving pain management in longterm
care facilities.”
The Web site is organized into categories of emphasis, including pain assessment, pain management, education,
quality improvement, guidelines, and resources. The tools available in each category will help nurses and
administrators improve pain outcomes for residents, change organizational standards for pain outcomes, and save
time identifying and evaluating quality tools.