New ER tool aims to better detect pain in dementia patients
NCT ID NCT06370572
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study tested whether a special pain scale called PAINAD, built into the electronic health record, helps emergency room staff better assess and treat pain in older adults with dementia who come in with hip pain. The study included 714 patients and measured how often the scale was used and whether it led to faster or better pain relief. The goal is to improve pain care for a group that often cannot communicate their pain clearly.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- PAINAD electronic health record prompt
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could improve pain assessment and treatment for people with dementia in emergency rooms.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed pragmatic study, not a treatment trial. The PAINAD scale is a tool, not a cure, and results may not change actual pain outcomes or apply to all ER settings.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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2,421 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2024
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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65 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients greater than or equal to 65 years old * ED arrival complaint of hip pain * History of dementia by past medical history or problem list in EHR Exclusion Criteria: * Patients do not meet inclusion criteria
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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