Abstract
BackgroundTo evaluate the impact of the Dementia Care in Hospitals Program (DCHP) on clinical and non-clinical staff job satisfaction, level of confidence and comfort in caring for patients with cognitive impairment (CI). Staff perceptions of how organisational support and hospital environment met the needs of patients with CI were also assessed.MethodsThe DCHP was implemented across four acute hospital sites across Australia. Clinical and non-clinical staff received training on CI screening and communication strategies for patients with CI. A staff satisfaction survey was administered pre- and post-implementation of the DCHP.ResultsOne thousand seven hundred forty-eight staff received DCHP education and 1375 staff participated in the survey. Self-reported confidence and level of comfort in caring for patients with CI significantly improved following implementation. Staff also reported increased job satisfaction and organisational support at all hospital sites.ConclusionsThe DCHP implementation within an acute hospital setting was found to show an improvement in staff confidence, comfort, and job satisfaction when caring for patients with CI. This study has significant implications for the improvement of care for patients with CI as well as staff retention and job satisfaction. Further research is required to determine whether these improvements are sustained in the longer term.
Highlights
To evaluate the impact of the Dementia Care in Hospitals Program (DCHP) on clinical and non-clinical staff job satisfaction, level of confidence and comfort in caring for patients with cognitive impairment (CI)
Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Dementia Care in Hospitals Program (DCHP), a clinical and non-clinical staff education program designed to improve awareness of, and communication with patients with CI, on staff confidence, comfort and job satisfaction in caring for patients with CI
Participant demographics A total of 1748 staff members (67.5%) of the total workforce staff participated in the educational sessions
Summary
To evaluate the impact of the Dementia Care in Hospitals Program (DCHP) on clinical and non-clinical staff job satisfaction, level of confidence and comfort in caring for patients with cognitive impairment (CI). Staff perceptions of how organisational support and hospital environment met the needs of patients with CI were assessed. Acute hospitals are increasingly being required to provide care for people with cognitive impairment (CI). Over 83,000 people with CI are admitted to hospital each year in Australia [1]. Patients with CI in acute hospitals are at a significantly increased risk of preventable complications such as falls, delirium, as well as adverse outcomes such as unexpected death, and unplanned entry into residential care [4].
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