Oral fluid intake for people with dementia in hospital
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A person-centred exploration of oral fluid intake for older people with dementia admitted to acute hospital wards
IRAS ID
213936
Contact name
Shanlee Higgins
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London South Bank University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 21 days
Research summary
Topic
Reports commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Society in collaboration with health professionals and service users (Alzheimer’s Society, 2009, 2013) identified several important topics to be explored in future dementia research. Two of these topics are research that improves care for older people with dementia and research that investigates how to promote food and drinks for people with dementia. This study will use the fundamental care need of oral fluid intake to explore the care experience of older people with dementia in acute hospital wards.
Relevance
Concerns have been raised that the care received by older people with dementia in hospitals is not always of the standard recommended in policy and guidelines. One approach advocated to address this is person-centred care.
Research Questions
When an older person with dementia is admitted to an acute hospital ward:
How does staff care approach affect their experience?
How do staff view their role in influencing oral fluid intake?
How can oral fluid intake be promoted in a person-centred way?
Setting and participants
The study will be conducted in one site of a multi-site acute hospital in London. The participants will be any person with a diagnosis of dementia admitted to one of the three wards included in the study and the staff caring for them.
Data collection
Initially, interviews will be conducted with senior staff who have a senior or leadership role in the hospital or on one of the wards being studied; the aim of these interviews is to identify practice guidelines and policies related to oral fluid intake care and dementia. Next, patient care will be observed and staff-patient interactions rated. Patient records will be reviewed. Interviews will be conducted with patients and their relatives about oral fluid intake in the hospital and at home, and with staff who have direct patient contact, asking about their role.REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1335
Date of REC Opinion
16 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion