Challenges faced by nurses caring for patients with dementia.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of the challenges faced by nurses delivering end of life care for patients with dementia in the acute hospital setting.
IRAS ID
134367
Contact name
Shirley Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Anglia Ruskin University
Research summary
It is widely recognised that patients with dementia may receive a poorer quality of end of life care in hospital than those patients who are cognitively intact or with a cancer diagnosis(Sampson et al 2006). Current research in this field has identified that there is little known about the experience of patients dying with dementia in hospital and that the nurses experiences are currently scarcely explored.\nCare of patients with dementia is a major societal concern. Various government policies have helped to improve practice in this area and shape the care pathways we deliver; however care for patients with dementia in hospital especially at end of life remains sub optimal. The proposed study aims to identify the challenges in this area of nursing care.\nI am employed as a ward manager on a Complex Care ward in a District General Hospital. This research seeks to explore the experiences of nurses and the difficulties they face in caring for a patient with dementia nearing end of life. It is anticipated that the study will generate evidence and provide insight to inform policy, thus improving the quality of care patients with dementia receive in hospital. The study will take place in the hospital where the researcher is employed. A qualitative methodology will be used. A total of 8 nurses, either band 5 or 6, with a minimum 2 years’ experience, will be recruited to participate in the study. Data will be collected via semi structured interviews and analysed thematically.\nReferences\nSampson E L, Gould, V, Lee, D, Blanchard, M,R (2006) Differences in care received by patients with and without dementia who died during acute hospital admission: \na retrospective case note study: Age Ageing 35 pp 187-9
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/EE/0352
Date of REC Opinion
18 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion