Residential aged care staff perceptions and responses towards neuropsychiatric symptoms: a mixed methods analysis of electronic healthcare records
Description
Objectives: To investigate electronic care notes to better understand reporting and management of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) by residential aged care (RAC) staff. Methods: We examined semi-structured care notes from electronic healthcare notes of 77 residents (67% female; aged 67-101; 79% with formal dementia diagnosis) across three RAC facilities. As part of standard clinical practice, staff documented the NPS presentation and subsequent management amongst residents. Using a mixed-method approach, we analyzed the type of NPS reported and explored care staff responses to NPS using inductive thematic analysis. Results: 465 electronic care notes were recorded during the 18-month period. Agitation-related behaviors were most frequently reported across residents (48.1%), while psychosis (15.6%), affective symptoms (14.3%), and apathy (1.3%) were less often reported. Only 27.5% of the notes contained information on potential causes underlying NPS. When faced with NPS, care staff responded by either providing emotional support, meeting resident’s needs, removing identified triggers, or distracting. Conclusion: Results suggest that RAC staff primarily detected and responded to those NPS they perceived as distressing. Findings highlight a potential under-recognition of specific NPS types, and lack of routine examination of NPS causes or systematic assessment and management of NPS. These observations are needed to inform the development and implementation of non-pharmacological interventions and care programs targeting NPS in RAC. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2022.2032597.
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ID Code: | 241092 |
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Item Type: | Contribution to Journal (Journal Article) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Additional Information: | Funding: Alzheimer Nederland; Australian Research Council; Alzheimer Nederland and Memorabel ZonMw; NHMRC and Australian Research Council Dementia Research Development Fellowship; Vereniging Trustfonds Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam. |
Measurements or Duration: | 8 pages |
Keywords: | Aggression, apathy, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), dementia, dementia and cognitive disorders, electronic health records, etc.), institutional care (nursing homes, neuropsychiatric symptoms, residential aged care facilities |
DOI: | 10.1080/13607863.2022.2032597 |
ISSN: | 1360-7863 |
Pure ID: | 138918541 |
Divisions: | Current > Research Centres > Centre for Healthcare Transformation Current > QUT Faculties and Divisions > Faculty of Health Current > Schools > School of Nursing |
Copyright Owner: | 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group |
Copyright Statement: | This work is covered by copyright. Unless the document is being made available under a Creative Commons Licence, you must assume that re-use is limited to personal use and that permission from the copyright owner must be obtained for all other uses. If the document is available under a Creative Commons License (or other specified license) then refer to the Licence for details of permitted re-use. It is a condition of access that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. If you believe that this work infringes copyright please provide details by email to qut.copyright@qut.edu.au |
Deposited On: | 04 Jul 2023 01:23 |
Last Modified: | 29 Feb 2024 13:37 |
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