Caring for patients diagnosed with dementia : the nurses' level of knowledge

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the nurses' knowledge related to caring for patients with dementia. Quantitative data was collected through a self-reporting questionnaire which was administered to the whole population of registered nurses working in 5 medical wards of a general hospital. The response rate of the study was 63%. The findings supported most of the literature which concluded that nurses' lack of adequate knowledge especially pertaining to recognising pain in people with dementia, understanding the Mental Health Act and decision making related to this act, as well as that related to the approaches to dementia care, was inadequate. However most of the nurses felt confident at recognising that someone was suffering from dementia, even if they had not yet been officially diagnosed. So this suggests that the nurses feel knowledgeable regarding the signs and symptoms of dementia. The nurses were also asked to point out their perceived learning needs, related to the care delivery for patients with dementia. From a list provided, the majority of the participants pointed out that the topics listed were vital and needed in dementia training. These needs were congruent with what is identified in the literature, and the Dementia Curriculum which provides an overview of the topics that need to be addressed during dementia training. The findings also indicated that the nurses perceive the need for further educational opportunities since, when consulted regarding ways which could address their learning needs, training opportunities for staff was emphasized in several questions by several participants. The findings illustrate that nurses find working with people with dementia challenging especially when providing holistic care and during communication. This appears to lead the nurses to focus on the physical needs of the patient and avoiding the rest. In fact the results showed that nurses felt more confident in dealing with the physical care of the patients with dementia. These findings suggest that the lack of knowledge present amongst the nurses needs to be addressed, in an attempt to ensure that holistic care is provided to patients with dementia. This study provides the nurses views regarding their level of knowledge, not their actual knowledge. Further research exploring the actual knowledge of nurses regarding dementia is indicated.