Understanding the needs of people with dementia and family carers

Barriers and facilitators to the use of personal information documents in health and social care settings for people living with dementia: A thematic synthesis and mapping to the COM-B framework

INTRODUCTION

People living with dementia experience communication difficulties. Personal information documents, or healthcare passports, enable communication of information essential for the care of a person with dementia. Despite the potential for providing person-centred care, personal information documents are not ubiquitously used. The Capability Opportunity Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model can be used to understand factors determining individuals' behaviours.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to identify the barriers to and facilitators of the use of healthcare passports for people living with dementia through a systematic review methodology.

METHODS

A systematic search of six electronic databases was undertaken. Grey literature was searched using three databases. All study types reporting barriers to or facilitators of the use of personal information documents in the care of adults living with dementia in high-income countries were included. Study quality was assessed using the NICE Quality Appraisal Checklist. Thematic synthesis was used to develop descriptive themes, which were subsequently mapped to the COM-B framework.

RESULTS

Nineteen papers were included. Themes included training, awareness, embedding the process in norms and appreciating the value of the personal information documents. A broad range of barriers and facilitators was identified within each COM-B domain.

CONCLUSION

This framework provides a starting point for evidence-informed initiatives to improve the use of personal information documents in the care of people with dementia.

PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This is a review of studies and did not involve patients or the public. Review results will guide evaluation of a local personal information document, which will be designed with input from the Dementia Champions Network (includes carers and other stakeholders).

The components of personal passports for people living with dementia in an acute healthcare setting: an integrative review

AIM

To explore the components of personal passports for people living with dementia in an acute healthcare setting.

BACKGROUND

Globally, supporting people with dementia poses a prominent health and social care challenge. Importance for people with dementia in an acute healthcare setting includes social relationships and communication with healthcare staff. A personal passport is an international initiative designed to support the personhood of the person living with dementia.

METHODS

This integrative review is based on the methodology of Whittmore and Knafl (2005). The Preferred Reporting for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and checklist were adhered to. A database search of PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus and EBSCO databases was systematically performed.

RESULTS

This integrative review identified nine research studies on the components of personal passports that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A constant comparative method of data analysis identified five key pivotal themes: person-centredness, communication, family/carer involvement, education and leadership.

CONCLUSION

The use of personal passports supports the provision of person-centred care for people living with dementia through enhancing the well-being of both the person and their families/caregivers.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Personal passports are an important document and should be determined by the person with dementia, their care needs and the caregiver's role in meeting these needs.

Using a general theory of implementation to plan the introduction of delirium prevention for older people in hospital

AIM

To develop an implementation plan for delirium prevention.

BACKGROUND

The use of non-pharmacological interventions to prevent hospital-acquired delirium is well established but their implementation has been notoriously difficult to achieve. Systematic analysis of context as part of implementation planning is critical.

METHODS

Ethnographic study was conducted in a 24-bed general medical ward. Eleven patients and family members and 15 health service staff participated through observations, individual interviews and document review. Inductive analysis was used to generate themes that described enablers and barriers.

RESULTS

Enablers included a ward culture that embraced safety and placing the person at the centre of care. Barriers were in tension with the enablers and included limited staff knowledge, specialist forms exclusive to the nursing discipline, inflexible ward routines and frequent disruptions.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to standard implementation strategies such as individual education and leadership, implementing delirium prevention requires consideration of team practices, review of policy document design and identification of outcomes data than can support collaborative reflexive practice.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

The use of a theory-informed ethnographic approach exposed tensions that may be otherwise invisible. Understanding the tensions increases the likelihood of implementation success. Using a systematic assessment approach can create a comprehensive implementation plan.

Patient Experience in the Transition of Home Parenteral Nutrition Services Between Centers: Evaluation of a Transition Model

BACKGROUND

In 2014, Dudley Group of Hospitals (DGH) underwent an organizational change that necessitated closure of their Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) service. University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHBFT) transitioned 50 patients from DGH into their HPN service. The transition model included communication with patients, communication between centers (development of an HPN Patient Passport), and rapid follow-up on transition ensuring clinical care continued uninterrupted.

AIM

Evaluate patient experience and their level of satisfaction with our HPN transition model.

METHOD

A 19-point, mixed mode paper-based questionnaire was developed. Questionnaires were posted to 42 surviving patients still receiving HPN.

RESULTS

Response rate: 67%. Communication with patients: The transition was discussed with them, and they had appropriate contact details during the process-94%. Patients informed of patient transition meetings-97%. Attendance at meetings: DGH 89%, UHBFT 55%. Ongoing care at UHBFT: 86% very satisfied and 11% satisfied. Overall rating of the transition process: 79% very satisfied and 14% satisfied. Friends and Family Test: 82% "extremely likely" and 18% "likely" to recommend our services.

CONCLUSION

The transition model used was successful, with the majority of patients "very satisfied" with how the transition was managed and their ongoing care. Effective communication with patients and between the 2 centers was the key to success. To our knowledge, this is the first report of transition of care for HPN patients. It is proposed that this model may be used by other centers to plan for future HPN service transitions where necessary.

The impacts of family involvement on general hospital care experiences for people living with dementia: An ethnographic study

BACKGROUND

A quarter of people in general hospitals have dementia. Limited existing studies suggest that hospital care experiences of people living with dementia, and the involvement of their families in care, may be suboptimal.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to explore how family involvement impacts upon experiences of hospital care for people living with dementia.

DESIGN

A qualitative ethnographic study.

METHODS

Ethnographic data were collected from two care of older people general hospital wards. Data were collected via observations, conversations and interviews with people living with dementia, families and staff. In total, 400 hours of observation and 46 interviews were conducted across two 7-9 month periods.

RESULTS

People living with dementia could experience a lack of connection on multiple levels - from pre-hospital life as well as life on the wards - where they could spend long periods of time without interacting with anyone. There was great variation in the degree to which staff used opportunities to involve families in improving connections and care. When used, the knowledge and expertise of families played a crucial role in facilitating more meaningful interactions, demonstrating how person-centred connections and care are possible in busy hospital settings. Despite such benefits, the involvement of families and their knowledge was not routine. Care was required to ensure that family involvement did not override the needs and wishes of people living with dementia.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates the benefits of involving families and their knowledge in care, advocating for family involvement, alongside the involvement of people living with dementia, to become a more routine component of hospital care.

Quality of acute care for persons with cognitive impairment and their families: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of older persons with cognitive impairment use inpatient services for co-occurring acute illness. Research has demonstrated that persons with cognitive impairment face more adverse health outcomes during hospitalization than their age counterparts without cognitive impairment. As hospitals tend to be ill equipped to meet the complex care needs of this population, various initiatives underscore the need to better utilize existing evidence to improve quality of care.

OBJECTIVES

To map the extent of knowledge about quality of acute care in inpatient settings, and to synthesize knowledge on strategies to improve quality care for persons with cognitive impairment and their families.

DESIGN

A scoping review using Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework.

DATA SOURCES

CINAHL and Medline were searched and reference lists of pertinent articles screened to identify publications regarding acute care for persons with cognitive impairment.

REVIEW METHODS

Two reviewers independently screened and identified publications based on eligibility criteria. Publications were included if they targeted acute care issues relating to persons with cognitive impairment 65 years or older, their family members, or health professionals caring for them, and were published after 2000 in English or German. Publications were read and data were extracted using a predefined template. Thematic analysis was conducted by two reviewers.

RESULTS

Of the 1445 identified publications, 66 were included. Quality of acute inpatient services pertained to structural (such as staff capacity and knowledge) and process dimensions (such as forming a caring relationship, assessing and intervening). Strategies identified to improve care quality included interventions at the point of care, such as specific tools and specialist roles to improve patient outcomes, as well as educational and training interventions to enable staff to care for this patient group.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a discrepancy between clearly defined best practice for persons with cognitive impairment utilising inpatient services, and the quality of care actually experienced by patients, family members, and staff. Research reveals a sobering picture of inadequate care and manifold challenges encountered by this patient group, family members and staff alike. Promising strategies to improve care quality target health professionals' knowledge and capacity to work with this group and include specific tools and models of care, such as specialist roles and units. Organisation-wide efforts to ensure quality care for this patient group are needed, as is further research to determine which implementation and intervention strategies achieve the most beneficial outcomes for all involved.

The Views of Domestic Staff and Porters when Supporting Patients with Dementia in the Acute Hospital: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

There is increasing recognition that very many hospital patients have dementia but there are many concerns about the quality of care and support they receive. Consequently there have been numerous calls for hospital staff to have dementia training. While cleaning or domestic staff and porters form considerable parts of the hospital workforce they are infrequently considered in discussions of dementia care training and practice. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the experiences of domestic staff and porters working in an acute hospital setting who are in contact regularly with patients with dementia. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken in 2016 with seven domestic staff and five porters in one English acute hospital to investigate their views and experiences. Data were analysed thematically by constant comparison technique and theoretical sampling. Themes were identified and realistic concepts developed. Participants observed that caring attitudes and behaviour in their encounters with patients with dementia are important but challenging to put into practice. Several would have valued more information about dementia. Some noted situations in the hospital stay that seemed particularly difficult for patients with dementia such as travelling to different parts of the hospital for treatments. The study suggests the need for improving the dementia-related knowledge and skills of all non-clinical staff especially those new to the NHS. The impact of witnessing dementia symptoms and distress on emotional well-being requires further research so that ancillary staff can improve the hospital stay of patients with dementia.

Comorbidity and dementia: a mixed-method study on improving health care for people with dementia (CoDem)

Background

Among people living with dementia (PLWD) there is a high prevalence of comorbid medical conditions but little is known about the effects of comorbidity on processes and quality of care and patient needs or how services are adapting to address the particular needs of this population.

Objectives

To explore the impact of dementia on access to non-dementia services and identify ways of improving the integration of services for this population.

Design

We undertook a scoping review, cross-sectional analysis of a population cohort database, interviews with PLWD and comorbidity and their family carers and focus groups or interviews with health-care professionals (HCPs). We focused specifically on three conditions: diabetes, stroke and vision impairment (VI). The analysis was informed by theories of continuity of care and access to care.

Participants

The study included 28 community-dwelling PLWD with one of our target comorbidities, 33 family carers and 56 HCPs specialising in diabetes, stroke, VI or primary care.

Results

The scoping review (n = 76 studies or reports) found a lack of continuity in health-care systems for PLWD and comorbidity, with little integration or communication between different teams and specialities. PLWD had poorer access to services than those without dementia. Analysis of a population cohort database found that 17% of PLWD had diabetes, 18% had had a stroke and 17% had some form of VI. There has been an increase in the use of unpaid care for PLWD and comorbidity over the last decade. Our qualitative data supported the findings of the scoping review: communication was often poor, with an absence of a standardised approach to sharing information about a person’s dementia and how it might affect the management of other conditions. Although HCPs acknowledged the vital role that family carers play in managing health-care conditions of PLWD and facilitating continuity and access to care, this recognition did not translate into their routine involvement in appointments or decision-making about their family member. Although we found examples of good practice, these tended to be about the behaviour of individual practitioners rather than system-based approaches; current systems may unintentionally block access to care for PLWD. Pathways and guidelines for our three target conditions do not address the possibility of a dementia diagnosis or provide decision-making support for practitioners trying to weigh up the risks and benefits of treatment for PLWD.

Conclusions

Significant numbers of PLWD have comorbid conditions such as stroke, diabetes and VI. The presence of dementia complicates the delivery of health and social care and magnifies the difficulties that people with long-term conditions experience. Key elements of good care for PLWD and comorbidity include having the PLWD and family carer at the centre, flexibility around processes and good communication which ensures that all services are aware when someone has a diagnosis of dementia. The impact of a diagnosis of dementia on pre-existing conditions should be incorporated into guidelines and care planning. Future work needs to focus on the development and evaluation of interventions to improve continuity of care and access to services for PLWD with comorbidity.

Funding

The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.