[The validation of a pain assessment scale for patients with cognitive impairment: the Italian version of Abbey's scale].

The cognitive impairment is the main obstacle for a nurse in the recognition of the patient's pain; moreover, the nurse needs valid scales which can be daily adopted during the phase of testing. Recently, a pain assessment scale for patients with cognitive impairment has been setted in Australia. Our aim is the validation of the Abbey scale in the Italian medical circle so as to allow the nurse to use it in the clinical practice. The original scale was validated in the Italian version and afterwards it was tested on 110 institutionalized elderly patients coming from three retirement houses of Vicenza, Italy. The results prove that the Italian version of Abbey scale is a valid tool, considering the content and reliability.