A new study found that patients aged 65 and older “reported significantly lower pain levels than younger patients after undergoing major surgery.”
This seems like good news on the surface, but the reality is likely more complicated. The difference in pain reporting “doesn’t necessarily mean older patients are more comfortable. It may mean they’re less likely to feel or communicate pain, which could delay treatment and lead to more serious complications and even death.”
Researchers used machine learning to “scour electronic health records and capture the self-reported pain levels of patients by age group in the hours and days after surgery.” The study also found that “older adults are more likely to suffer complications like delirium, breathing issues, and prolonged sedation after surgery. Even after adjusting for pre-existing health conditions, previous studies have found that older patients were up to nearly seven times more likely to die from surgical complications than younger patients.”
The study’s leader explained that “older adults might be less likely to verbalize their discomfort, may have different pain thresholds, or could even have cognitive impairments that make it harder to express what they’re feeling.” The study suggests “hospitals adopt age-specific pain management plans, using different types of medications, tailored doses, and alternative therapies, such as nerve blocks or physical therapy.” New training may also be in order “to help clinicians, including nurse anesthetists, better recognize pain in older patients, who may not express it in typical ways.”
