Staff confidence, morale and attitudes in a specialist unit for general hospital patients with dementia and delirium—a qualitative study

Abstract

Our findings suggest that clinicians can identify family caregivers at risk for depression by using the J-ZBI_8 alone, a very simple tool consisting of only 8 items, the administration of which is much less time consuming. Moreover, a short version of the Zarit caregiver burden scale is less threatening to caregivers than a battery of other tests, including measures of depression. Additionally, the J-ZBI_8 has been the most widely used scale for assessing caregiver burden in a practical care setting in Japan. Therefore, an awareness of the optimal cutoff score of 13 identified in this study will allow clinicians to identify family caregivers who are in need of further assistance or intervention at an early stage, possibly preventing depression and other common problems among caregivers.

Equipping staff with the skills to maximise recovery of people with dementia after an injurious fall

“…Additionally, access to specialist dementia expertise needs to be improved for non-specialist staff, perhaps through skill sharing programmes or the implementation of specific 'dementia advisor' roles. This is in line with findings from hospital settings, where the presence of such trained advisors has been shown to increase staff confidence and skill in caring for people with dementia (Handley, et al, 2017;Spencer, Foster, Whittamore, Goldberg, & Harwood, 2014).…”

An educational programme to improve acute care nurses' knowledge, attitudes and family caregiver involvement in care of people with cognitive impairment

“…They also described developing a more positive attitude towards older adults with delirium and dementia after participation in the educational programme. Despite the differences in care setting, research design, sample characteristics, educational approach and instruments, this finding is similar to a previous Western study, where comprehensive education on delirium, dementia and person‐centred care and employment of additional mental health specialist staff improved staff confidence, morale and attitudes in a specialist unit for general hospital patients with cognitive impairment .…”

The assessment and management of pain in patients with dementia in hospital settings: a multi-case exploratory study from a decision making perspective

“…Poor pain control in the context of this environment is associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly aggression and anxiety [20]. These symptoms affect over 75 % of people with dementia admitted to acute hospitals and can increase the risk of mortality and cognitive decline [21]. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are particularly challenging for clinical staff to manage, and are often associated with sub-optimal care or inappropriate prescriptions of antipsychotic medications [22].…”