Development of the Questionnaire on Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia (qPAD)

Abstract

The Questionnaire on Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia (qPAD) is a 2-part instrument that measures long-term care staff knowledge, and beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes about palliative and end-of-life care for persons with advanced dementia. Factor analyses of the Knowledge Test (coefficient α = .81) produced 3 factors: Anticipating Needs, Preventing Negative Outcomes, and Insight and Intuition (coefficient α = .75, .73, and .58, respectively), explaining 67% of the total variance. Factor analyses of the Attitude Scale (coefficient α = .83) produced 3 factors: Job Satisfaction, Perceptions and Beliefs, and Work Setting Support of Families (coefficient α = .90, .64, and .67, respectively), explaining 68% of the total variance. These initial findings hold promise for an instrument that measures both knowledge and attitudes of long-term care staff in the care of persons with advanced dementia.

Quality of care for people with dementia and professional caregivers' perspectives regarding palliative care in Japanese community care settings

“…Professional caregivers also completed the Japanese version of the Questionnaire on Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia. The scale consists of a knowledge test and an attitude scale (Long, ; Long et al ., ). Higher scores in the knowledge test represent greater knowledge regarding palliative care for dementia, such as that pertaining to anticipating needs in challenging behaviour, preventing negative outcomes via care routines that constitute a barrier to person‐centred care and insight and intuition in interacting with patients with dementia.…”

Palliative care for advanced dementia: Knowledge and attitudes of long‐term care staff

“…Knowledge and attitudes were assessed using the Chinese version of the questionnaire on Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia (qPAD) scale. The qPAD is a reliable valid instrument that measures the acquisition of knowledge and beliefs, perceptions and attitudes related to palliative care for persons with advanced dementia of nursing staff that work in LTC institutions (Long, ; Long, Sowell, Hess, & Alonzo, ). It is a two‐part instrument with 23 knowledge test items and 12 attitude scale items.…”

Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia

“…28 This measure consists of 2 scales about knowledge and attitudes about advanced dementia care issues. A total of 25 questions assess knowledge about advanced dementia, with respondents given 3 choices: true, false, do not know.…”

“…Both the knowledge and attitudes scales have strong internal consistency, with Cronbach's coefficient a of .83 and .87, respectively. 28 Family members completed an abbreviated version of the Questionnaire of Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia consisting of 11 of the 25 knowledge questions. Family members were also asked to rate 10 items created for this study regarding their confidence in staff to provide them and their relatives with good care using a 5-point Likert scale (1 ¼ not at all confident, 5 ¼ extremely confident).…”