[Pain management in geriatric patients-methods paper for the S3 guideline "GeriPAIN"]

Geriatric patients are characterized by an advanced age and typical geriatric multimorbidity. The prevalence of pain increases with age. In geriatric patients in particular, pain is one of the most frequently occurring characteristic complexes. In Germany, a trend has been observed that the prevalence and intensity of pain in older people has continued to increase in recent years. Pain management in this particularly vulnerable group poses major challenges for the patients themselves, their relatives and healthcare professionals. For this reason, the expiring S3 guideline on "Pain assessment in older people in full inpatient care for the elderly" will be taken up, updated and expanded to include pain therapy and extended to outpatient and acute inpatient care.