Deconstruction of a complex tailored intervention to assess and treat discomfort of people with advanced dementia

AIM: This paper describes the use of components of the Serial Trial Intervention (STI), which is designed to address problems of physical and affective discomfort in people with late-stage dementia. BACKGROUND: Nursing intervention studies frequently test the efficacy of tailored interventions that contain multidimensional assessment and diverse treatment components. Describing differences in the intervention as planned in the research design and as delivered under study conditions increases understanding of what really contributed to outcomes achievement, Type III error and improves the validity of conclusions regarding intervention effectiveness. METHOD: Data from 57 participants in the treatment arm of a randomized experiment testing the intervention are used to describe the assessments and treatments actually delivered, to evaluate the effectiveness of specific components, and to compare differences between those receiving and not receiving the intervention. DISCUSSION: While targeted treatment in response to positive physical assessment was effective for 86% of those receiving treatment, 70% of participants with a positive assessment finding did not receive treatment during this step of the STI. Trials of non-pharmacological treatments were effective for 62% and trials of analgesics were effective for 75% of participants. Those treated at the not-for-profit facilities received a higher dose of the intervention and had statistically significant less discomfort after treatment than those at for-profit facilities (effect size of 0.963). CONCLUSION: Components of the STI were effective for many participants and this supports the use of a multidimensional approach to resolve the unmet needs of people with dementia who no longer communicate their needs through spoken language. Treating the intervention as both a categorical and continuous variable in experimental studies allows the effect of group assignment as well as dosage delivered to be examined.     

Responsiveness of the TAWC tool for assessing wheelchair discomfort

Purpose.?The purpose of this research was to determine the clinical usefulness of the Tool for Assessing Wheelchair disComfort (TAWC) by examining floor and ceiling effects and responsiveness when used with two groups of wheelchair users – one known to have experienced real changes in discomfort levels and the other with unchanged levels.

Method.?In a retrospective analysis of data from two previous studies, change scores were compared across two groups of subjects – one stable group (NON-CHANGERS) and one experiencing a seating intervention (CHANGERS) intended to decreased seating discomfort.

Results.?No significant floor or ceiling effects were found. The average General Discomfort Score (GDS) change among the NON-CHANGERS was 2.0 (with a possible score range of 13 – 91) and average Discomfort Intensity Score (DIS) change was 1.8 (with a possible score range of 8 – 99) for the same group. Conversely, average GDS change among the CHANGERS was 8.7 and the average DIS change was 7.7. Additionally, both scores demonstrated a moderate effect size (d) for two tested treatments (GDS = 0.53 and 0.50, DIS = 0.31 and 0.33) and the standardized response means were 0.78 and 0.77 for the GDS and 0.80 and 1.2 for the DIS.

Conclusions.?All analyses indicate good responsiveness of the TAWC, supporting its use clinically and in future research.     

Cognitive stimulation by caregivers for people with dementia

Cognitive stimulation (CS) is a psychological intervention for people with dementia aimed at maintaining cognitive functioning. CS provided by caregivers would allow long-term maintenance without greatly increasing demands on health services, but raises questions concerning treatment fidelity and acceptability, which were investigated in this study. Caregivers of home-living people with dementia were trained to provide CS activities to their relative with dementia. Recordings of intervention sessions and analysis of training manuals suggested adequate delivery of the intervention. Dyads continued with the activities after caregiver training had stopped. In addition, presentation of the activities without supervision from a health care professional had no detrimental effect on well-being in the caregiver or the person with dementia. The majority of caregivers indicated that, even though they experienced some burden from doing the activities with their relative, they themselves had also benefited from the intervention and intended to continue with some of the activities.     

Mobility rating scale for elderly people with dementia: preparation of a Japanese-language version of the Southampton Mobility Assessment

Objectives

Improving the mobility of elderly people with dementia appears to be of significant value in maintaining and enhancing their activities of daily living and quality of life. However, a literature search revealed no scales for rating the mobility of elderly people with dementia currently available in Japan. A Japanese-language version of a rating scale for the mobility of elderly people with dementia, the Southampton Mobility Assessment (SMA), was prepared and its reliability and validity were evaluated.

Participants

Eighty-five elderly people with dementia.

Methods

Reliability was assessed using limits of agreement based on the analysis by Bland and Altman. Validity was evaluated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients to assess associations between the scores on the Japanese-language version of the SMA and the scores on the subscales of the Barthel Index.

Results

The limits of agreement between two raters were −1.2 and 1.2, and the evaluation of repeatability revealed that 98% of the differences were within two standard deviations (−0.3 and 0.3). A high correlation was found between the scores on the Japanese-language version of the SMA and the Barthel Index.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate that the Japanese-language version of the SMA possesses high reliability and validity, suggesting its suitability in the assessment of mobility when developing physiotherapy approaches intended to enhance the mobility and quality of life of elderly people with dementia.     

Pain assessment in older people with dementia: literature review

Title.  Pain assessment in older people with dementia: literature review.
Aim.  This paper is a report of a literature review conducted to identify barriers to successful pain assessment in older adults with dementia and possible strategies to overcome such barriers.
Background.  Pain is frequently undetected, misinterpreted, or inaccurately assessed in older adults with cognitive impairment. These people are often unable to articulate or convey how they feel and are often perceived as incapable of experiencing or recalling pain.
Data sources.  Searches were conducted of CINAHL, Medline and other databases for the period 1993–2007 using the search terms pain, dementia, assess*, barrier* and obstacle*.
Methods.  Studies were critically appraised by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted using instruments specifically developed for the review. Studies were categorized according to levels of evidence defined by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and Joanna Briggs Institute.
Results.  Perceived barriers to successful pain assessment in people with dementia included lack of recognition of pain, lack of sufficient education and/or training, misdiagnosis or late diagnosis, and non-use of assessment tools. Barriers related to people with dementia included insufficient evidence, the possibility of a 'no pain' subset of people with dementia, type of pain, and stoical attitudes. Strategies proposed as means of overcoming these barriers included knowing the person, knowing by diversity/intuitive perception, education and training, and use of adequate tools.
Conclusion.  More extensive education and training about the relationship between pain and dementia are urgently needed, as is the development and implementation of an effective pain assessment tool specifically designed to detect and measure pain in older adults with all stages of dementia.     

The applicability of a recovery approach to nursing people with dementia

Objectives

Recent developments in nursing to people with mental health conditions of working age have been underpinned by the recovery approach. This paper critically reviews the idea of recovery in relationship to people with dementia and examines its applicability to dementia care nursing.

Design

The paper critically reviews literature relating to the use recovery approach and the people with dementia, particularly their nursing care. The paper identifies common ideas within two approaches and suggests how the recovery approach may underpin nursing care to people with dementia.

Data sources

A search of CINAHL, Medline and PsycINFO was undertaken from 1987 onwards using keywords ‘recovery’, ‘nursing’ and ‘dementia’.

Results

The paper found that the recovery approach shares many ideas with person-centred approaches to dementia care and illustrates this in relationship to well-being, social inclusion, self-management, and hope.

Conclusion

The paper concludes by suggesting that dementia care nursing should draw on ideas taken from the recovery approach and identifies each approach drawing on ideas that have come together in postpsychiatry.     

Pain in community-dwelling persons with dementia: frequency, intensity, and congruence between patient and caregiver report

To better understand the pain experience of persons with dementia and to describe what factors are related to congruence of pain reports within patient–caregiver dyads, a cohort study enrolled patient–caregiver dyads at a primary care geriatrics clinic. Thirty–two percent of persons with dementia self-report pain “right now.” Of these, 65% report slight/mild pain, 27% moderate pain, and 8% severe pain or greater. Fifty-two percent of caregivers report their care recipients with dementia are in some pain “right now.” Of these, 52% report slight/mild pain, 30% moderate, and 18% severe pain or greater. Fifty-nine percent of dyads agree on the presence or absence of patient pain. In multivariate analysis of dyadic congruence of pain reports by patient and caregiver factors, only patient factors predicted congruence. The odds of congruence of pain reports increase 3.7 (1.2–12.3) if the patient is male and decrease 0.938 (0.93–0.99) as the patient becomes more agitated. These findings suggest that community-dwelling persons with dementia report less pain than those in the nursing home and caregivers do a fair job of predicting patient pain.     

The Discomfort Behavior Scale: a measure of discomfort in the cognitively impaired based on the Minimum Data Set 2.0

Because persons with cognitive impairment often cannot self-report pain, it is imperative to develop instruments that use observable indicators. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Discomfort Behavior Scale (DBS), which is comprised of 17 items from the Minimum Data Set (MDS). MDS data from 29,120 cognitively impaired nursing home residents were used for psychometric testing. Factor analyses of the DBS indicated that it reflects a single discomfort dimension. The items are tau equivalent, allowing unity weighting and simple summation to create scale scores, and the internal consistency was good. The DBS has potential to be useful in studies of efforts to improve pain management in cognitively impaired residents of nursing homes.     

痴呆患者进食困难管理的最佳证据总结

目的评价并总结痴呆患者进食困难管理相关证据,旨在为医护人员和有关决策者提供参考。方法系统检索国内外数据库中痴呆患者进食困难管理相关文献,包括临床决策、指南、专家共识、推荐实践、证据总结、系统评价/Meta分析,检索时限为2016年1月—2020年12月,由研究者根据相关文献评价标准进行评价并提取证据。结果共纳入17篇文献,包括1篇临床决策、3篇指南、3篇专家共识、1篇推荐实践、1篇证据总结、8篇系统评价,从组织规范、培训教育、实践3个方面总结出40条证据。结论痴呆患者进食困难管理证据涉及范围较广,内容丰富,科学、有效的管理措施可以减少患者进食困难的发生。证据使用者在证据转化过程中应考虑具体情境,分析证据与临床实践的差距,有针对性地选择证据,以便制订符合个体情况的本土化的痴呆患者进食困难管理方案,改善其营养状况,提升照护质量。     

Development of an mHealth application for family carers of people with dementia: A study protocol

BackgroundThe progressive and complex nature of dementia demands carers have specific knowledge and training. However, often carers do not have adequate knowledge and skills, particularly for functional disability care.AimThis study aims to develop and test the feasibility of an educational and supportive mHealth/smartphone application that addresses the needs of family carers of people with dementia related to functional disability of care recipients.MethodsThis mixed method study consists of three phases. In phase one, an online survey and individual interviews with carers will be conducted to assess their needs related to management of functional disability and the development of an mHealth application. Additionally, experts will be consulted to identify their opinions on application development. In phase two, using information from phase one, an mHealth application will be designed and developed. In phase three, a feasibility study will be conducted with carers to identify usability, user adherence, acceptance and experiences with the application.DiscussionThis study will generate new knowledge about the needs of carers related to the management of functional disability of people with dementia and the use of smartphones for health-seeking behaviours, and will develop an mHealth application for carers to address the needs related to functional disability care.ConclusionA mixed method study was designed to develop a user-centred educational and supportive mHealth app for family carers to address needs related to the functional disability of people with dementia consisting of three phases: needs assessment, the designing of the app and a feasibility study.     

利多卡因凝胶联合曲马多防治尿管相关膀胱刺激症的效果观察

目的：探讨联合使用利多卡因凝胶局部麻醉导尿及静脉注射曲马多对全身麻醉患者尿管相关膀胱刺激症的影响。方法：选择120例男性胸、腹部手术患者,将其随机等分为试验组和对照组。试验组全身麻醉气管插管结束后在利多卡因凝胶局部麻醉下导尿,术毕予小剂量曲马多静脉注射。对照组在全身麻醉后行常规导尿术,术毕予相同体积的生理盐水。比较两组患者膀胱刺激症的发生程度。结果：与对照组比较,试验组患者膀胱刺激症发生程度明显减轻（P〈0.05）。试验组患者中有1例使用了曲马多自诉恶心,未呕吐。对照组患者没有出现明显的恶心呕吐等不良反应。结论：利多卡因凝胶局部麻醉联合静脉注射曲马多能降低全身麻醉患者尿管相关膀胱刺激症的发生率,减轻患者的苏醒期躁动。     

Do medical treatments increase the risk of substance abuse in older people with dementia

Abstract

The current study aims to determine the association between medical treatments and the risk of substance abuse in the elderly with dementia. The research was conducted on Malaysian elderly who were demented and non-institutionalized. The study was a national cross sectional survey that included 1210 non-institutionalized Malaysian elderly with dementia. The Multiple Logistic Regression Model was applied to predict the risk of substance abuse in respondents. The prevalence of substance abuse was approximately 57.9% among subjects. Furthermore, medical treatment (OR?=?1.88, 95% CI: 1.37–2.59), ethnic non-Malay (OR?=?1.44, 95% CI: 1.12–1.84) and male sex (OR?=?4.64; 95% CI: 3.42–6.29) significantly increased substance abuse after adjusting for socio-demographic factors. The results showed that age, marital status and educational level did not predict significantly the risk of substance abuse in samples (p?>?0.05). It was concluded that male sex, medical treatment and ethnic non-Malay can increase the risk of substance abuse in the older people with dementia.     

网络干预在痴呆老年人居家照护中应用的范围综述

目的 对网络干预在痴呆老年人居家照护中应用的研究进行范围审查,以识别网络干预的要素及应用现状,为未来该领域的研究提供指导。方法 以乔安娜布里格斯研究所范围综述指南为方法学框架,检索PubMed、Embase、CINAHL、Web of Science、PsycINFO、Cochrane Library、中国知网、万方和中国生物医学文献数据库中相关研究。检索时限为建库至2020年3月31日。对纳入文献进行汇总和分析。结果 纳入31篇文献,网络干预的要素涵盖提供信息和照护技能指导、同伴支持、与专业人员联系、决策支持、心理支持和自我照护指导。结局类型主要为对居家照护者和痴呆老年人的干预效果及可行性指标。结论 网络干预对痴呆照护者起到了积极影响,且多要素结合的个性化网络干预更受居家照护者欢迎。未来研究需结合分级诊疗模式和人工智能决策技术,探究在“互联网+护理服务”背景下实现个性化支持的策略。