The Serial Trial Intervention: an innovative approach to meeting needs of individuals with dementia.

Individuals with dementia often use behaviors rather than specific verbal complaints to express the presence of a symptom or need. The Serial Trial Intervention uses systematic serial assessments and sequential trials of treatments to identify and treat unmet needs that may be the underlying cause of these behaviors. Because chronic pain is common and often under-treated in this population, a trial of analgesics is used when other approaches, including nonpharmacological treatments, have not been effective. A systematic approach to nursing assessment and treatment is needed to identify and treat discomfort and other unmet needs of individuals with dementia.