“Getting to know them”: Person-centered care for patients with dementia in acute care

Precious Osuoha, Sara S. Masoud, Meghan Leibas, Lisa M. Cleveland, Charles C. Reed, Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, Carole L. White

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Older adults with dementia are reported to have twice as many hospital stays as their age-matched counterparts without dementia. Acute care hospitals are generally not equipped to provide best care for persons with dementia. The purpose of the current qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the needs and perspectives of nursing staff and patient care technicians regarding delivering person-centered care (PCC) to patients with dementia. Nine focus groups (N = 49) were conducted. Participants discussed the importance of “getting to know them” as the basis for their care. Several themes emerged that served to support or detract from providing PCC: (a) communication, (b) education, and (c) care environment. Findings from this study support the desire of nurses and patient care technicians to provide PCC, highlight challenges, and indicate needed system-level changes to education, communication, and the care environment to support best practices.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)37-44
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Gerontological Nursing
Volume47
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2021
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Nursing
  • Gerontology

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