Petty, Stephanie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1453-3313, Griffiths, Amanda, Coleston, Donna Maria and Dening, Tom (2020) Improving emotional well-being for hospital-based patients with dementia. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, 22 (1). pp. 56-67.

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	Text (Petty, S., Griffiths, A., Coleston, D.M., & Dening, T. (2020). Improving emotional wellbeing for hospital-based patients with dementia. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults. doi: 10.1108/QAOA-05-2020-0019) Petty_Research paper_QAOA_2020.docx - Accepted Version Download (104kB)

Abstract

Purpose
Improving hospital care for people with dementia is a well-established priority. There is limited research evidence to guide nursing staff in delivering person-centred care, particularly under conditions where patients are emotionally distressed. Misunderstood distress has negative implications for patient well-being and hospital resources. The purpose of this study is to use the expertise of nurses to recommend ways to care for the emotional well-being of patients with dementia that are achievable within the current hospital setting.

Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was conducted in two long-stay wards providing dementia care in a UK hospital. Nursing staff (n = 12) were asked about facilitators and barriers to providing emotion-focused care. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings
Nursing staff said that resources existed within the ward team, including ways to gather and present personal information about patients, share multidisciplinary and personal approaches, work around routine hospital tasks and agree an ethos of being connected with patients in their experience. Staff said these did not incur financial cost and did not depend upon staffing numbers but did take an emotional toll. Examples are given within each of these broader themes.

Research limitations/implications
The outcome is a short-list of recommended staff actions that hospital staff say could improve the emotional well-being of people with dementia when in hospital. These support and develop previous research.

Originality/value
In this paper, frontline nurses describe ways to improve person-centred hospital care for people with dementia.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	Published
DOI:	10.1108/QAOA-05-2020-0019
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
School/Department:	School of Education, Language and Psychology
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/5531

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