Development, Implementation and Evaluation of Evidence-Based Guidelines on Prioritizing Nursing Care for Older Patients with Dementia in Acute Care

• Sweden

569170

01-01-2008

48

• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias

Dementia; Nursing; Evidence-Based; Guidelines

This project aims to develop, implement and evaluate evidence-based guidelines for prioritizing nursing care of people with dementia in acute hospital care. Older people are major users of hospital services, and an increase in the ageing population is accompanied by increased number of patients with dementia in acute hospital care. Acute care staff rarely has specific training in care of people with dementia and/or managing challenging behaviours, and thus psychotropic medication, physical restraints, and patient attendants are often used to manage such behaviours. In hospitals, guidelines are intended to provide a standard for the delivery of care. While hospitalization of older people with dementia often exacerbates distress and behaviour symptoms, no guidelines have been developed specific to nursing care of this vulnerable group. Consequently, there are no consistent care practices that includes the needs associated with dementia. Prioritizing nursing care for people with dementia in acute care is a key element for management, early intervention and reduction of acute and general symptoms associated with dementia. This pro-active approach to dementia care is expected to improve health and well-being of people with dementia in acute care settings. Cross-cultural, multi-method data collection will be employed for the development of the guideline, involving two acute care setting at a major Melbourne metropolitan hospital and a rural university hospital in northern Sweden.

• Health and social care research