Pilot Study of a Robot-assisted Intervention for the Management of Care-induced Pain in Dementia

In the researchers' words

Health care professionals lack tools to deal with acute pain in patients with moderate to severe dementia during daily nursing situations. Care-induced pain in institutionalized persons with cognitive impairments can cause anxiety and behavioral problems.The aim of this study is to demonstrate that a systematic identification of pain associated with the use of social robots such as the PARO robot may contribute to a better anticipation and management of care-induced pain. The investigators hypothesize that an individual use of the PARO robot would bring relaxation to the patient, a distraction regarding the aversive situation of care and, thus, it would prevent manifestations of acute pain in patients with dementia. Secondary objectives of the study : 1. determine the effect of the use of PARO during painful cares on quality of life, medication of patients, and perceived workload of the health-care team. 2. examine socio-demographic and clinical responders' participants to the intervention, and, 3. identify essential elements regarding cost-effectiveness of a systematic evaluation of pain and a mediation with the PARO robot in care-induced pain