Supporting person-centred care for people with dementia in hospital v1

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Supporting person-centred care for people with dementia in hospital settings: co-designing and testing the feasibility of an intervention for use during constant observation activities

  • IRAS ID

    278749

  • Contact name

    Melanie Handley

  • Contact email

    m.j.handley@herts.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Hertfordshire

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 11 months, 31 days

  • Research summary

    Despite widespread initiatives to improve dementia care in hospitals, applying person-centred care during routine patient/staff encounters continues to challenge hospital staff. One priority area for hospitals is to manage a person's risk of harm, for example from falls. A common strategy to manage people with dementia's risk of harm is constant observation; a care activity which involves the allocation of a member of staff to provide constant supervision and address the care needs of one patient or a small group of patients in one bay area. The quality of care during these activities varies.

    The aim is to co-design and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention that promotes person-centred care for people with dementia during constant observation activities in hospitals.

    This is a two-year study with four phases. In three hospitals, we will:
    1. i) conduct a literature review of constant observation with people with dementia and; ii) map the practices and processes of constant observation in three hospitals. using surveys with ward managers, interviews and observations with ward staff, people with dementia and family members.
    2. Co-design an intervention that is locally adapted for each site using three two-hour co-design meetings with hospital staff and people affected by dementia.
    3. Test the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention by implementing it in two wards at each hospital for three months. Data collection consists of surveys, validated tools, interviews and observations with ward staff, people with dementia and family members.
    4. Hold a consensus event with 30 stakeholders (hospital staff, people with dementia and family members, academics and professional body representatives) to share findings and define the key intervention characteristics.

    Evidence will establish if focusing on a priority area of care for hospitals and staff can embed person-centred care practices. Findings will be shared to inform care planning and delivery.

  • REC name

    Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    21/YH/0045

  • Date of REC Opinion

    26 Mar 2021

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion