Using decision trees to enhance pain assessment in people with learning disabilities and complex communication needs.
Why you should read this article: • To recognise the challenges associated with assessing pain in people with learning disabilities and complex communication needs • To understand how the use of decision trees can enhance pain assessment and management • To consider the role of learning disability n...
| Publicado en: | Learning Disability Practice Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 17 - 26 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom (The)
Jun2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=194455378&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 194455378 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 14658712 FTU jtl: Learning Disability Practice issn: 14658712 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 29 iid: 3 pid: 6040 pub: Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom (The) artinfo: ui: 194455378 194455378 194455378 10.7748/ldp.2026.e2290 194455378 ppf: 17 ppct: 9 formats: tig: atl: Using decision trees to enhance pain assessment in people with learning disabilities and complex communication needs. aug: au: Simpson, Cerys May Genders, Nicky affil: Learning disability nurse degree apprentice, The Open University, Little Plumstead Hospital, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Little Plumstead, England sug: subj: Decision Trees Utilization Pain Measurement Methods Persons with Disabilities Learning Disorders Communicative Disorders Pain Management Methods Decision Making, Clinical Nursing Care Natriuretic Peptide, Brain Patient Centered Care Diagnostic Errors Prevention and Control Clinical Reasoning Multidisciplinary Care Team Collaboration Patient Advocacy Decision Support Techniques Models, Biopsychosocial Communication Aids for Persons with Disabilities Alternative and Augmentative Communication Patient Care Plans Nursing Role Nursing Practice Patient Safety Nurse-Patient Relations Skin Physiopathology Sweating ab: Why you should read this article: • To recognise the challenges associated with assessing pain in people with learning disabilities and complex communication needs • To understand how the use of decision trees can enhance pain assessment and management • To consider the role of learning disability nurses in improving the recognition and management of pain. Pain is a multidimensional experience, yet its recognition and management in people with learning disabilities who are non-verbal or have limited communication remains a longstanding and under-explored clinical challenge. This patient population are given fewer prescriptions for analgesics compared with the general population and have a higher risk of preventable death due to their pain being inadequately monitored and managed. This article examines how decision trees – structured tools that guide clinical reasoning through a sequence of branching questions – can be incorporated into nursing practice to improve pain assessment in people with learning disabilities. The authors explore pain assessment tools, evidence-based practice and practical implications, outlining how nurses can lead safe, person-centred care and reduce the risk of diagnostic overshadowing. They also offer recommendations for practice, with an emphasis on clinical reasoning, multidisciplinary team collaboration and advocacy. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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