Person‐centred dementia care in an acute hospital: Experiences from nurses working in a specialized dementia unit

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesPerson‐centred care (PCC) is synonymous with best practice in the care of persons with dementia (PWD). However, the focus has been in long‐term care settings with less attention in acute hospitals. We aimed to study the implementation of PCC in an acute hospital dementia unit (Care for Acute Mentally Infirm Elders [CAMIE]) from the perspectives and experiences of nurses working with PWD.MethodThis was an exploratory qualitative study involving individual, face‐to‐face, semi‐structured in‐depth interviews. A purposive sample of ten nurses participated in the interview. We employed an inductive thematic analysis approach to analyze the qualitative result.ResultsThe findings highlighted the challenges e.g. managing challenging behaviour and the positive experiences e.g. meaningful connection with patients in providing PCC. The initial challenges were due to a lack of prior knowledge and experience. Through formal and informal learning, the nurses built confidence and competence, and also provided support to each other. They emphasized the importance of teamwork and camaraderie in the CAMIE team but raised concerns about the negative perceptions of non‐CAMIE nurses on the value of their work.ConclusionDespite the challenges, with adequate knowledge and robust organizational level support to embrace PCC as the care ethos, implementing of PCC is feasible among nurses in the acute care setting.