Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC)

BioPsychoSocial Assessment Tools for the Elderly - Assessment Summary Sheet

Test: Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC)

Year: 2004

Domain: Biological

Assessment Tool Category: Pain

Variations/Translations: Has been referred to as the Pain Assessment Scale for seniors with Severe Dementia.

Setting: Clinical setting or long term care.

Method of Delivery: Completed by caregiver based on observation.

Description: This checklist of pain assessment is specific to seniors who have limited abilities to communicate. The PACSLAC contains 60 items which are separated into four sections: facial expressions, activity/body movements, social/personality/ mood and physiological indicators/eating and sleeping changes/vocal behaviours.

Scoring/Interpretation: A dichotomous scale is used to check off if the behaviours are present or absent. The sum of each subsection is tallied, based on the number of checkmarks, and those scores are summed for a grand total. The total PACSLAC score is able to discriminate among painful, calm, and non-pain related distress events.

Time to Administer: 5-10 minutes

Availability: Contact Authors Fuchs-Lacelle, S.K., & Hadjistavropoulos, T.

Software: N/A

Website:

http://www.rgpc.ca/best/PAIN%20Best%20Practices%20-%20ML%20
Vanderhorst%20(June%2007)/PACSLAC.pdf

Quantitative/Qualitative: Quantitative

Validity (Quantitative): Internal consistency was .92 and the subscales internal consistencies ranged from .74 to .84.

Reliability (Quantitative): This scale has demonstrated good inter-rater reliability when used by caregivers, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.83 (p<0.01).

References:

Cheung, G., & Choi, P. (2008). The use of the Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC). The New Zealand medical journal, 121(1286), 21-29.

Herr, K., Decker, S., & Bjoro, K. (2004). The Pain Assessment Scale for Seniors with Severe Dementia (PACSLAC). Retrieved April 2, 2010, from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/25727431/ Tool-The-Pain-Assessment-Scale-for-Seniors-with-Severe.

Comments: N/A