Meeting the needs of patients with dementia to reduce hospital stays: a qualitative exploration of patient pathways and services
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Meeting the needs of patients with dementia to reduce hospital stays: a qualitative exploration of patient pathways and services

Vanessa Baxter Service manager and researcher, Institute for Health and Care Improvement, York St John University, York, England
Mary Kennedy Lecturer, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, Essex, England
Ewen Speed Professor of medical sociology, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, Essex, England
Susan McPherson Professor of psychology and sociology, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, Essex, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To recognise the adverse effects associated with hospital admission for people with dementia

  • To understand the challenges in relation to caring for people with dementia in acute services

  • To consider aspects of effective practice that could be incorporated into health and social care services

Background Admission to hospital can be harmful and distressing for people with dementia, so it is important to investigate and improve acute care provision for this patient group.

Aim To gain a better understanding of how to meet the needs of patients with dementia during episodes of acute care, and to identify areas of effective practice across England.

Method Qualitative interviews were undertaken with 42 professionals in five areas of England and opinions were gathered from a focus group of seven carers of people with dementia.

Findings Working practices to support patients with dementia and their carers vary significantly by geographical area. Many examples of effective practice were identified in terms of preventing hospital admission and improving care during hospital stays, admission and discharge from hospital, and post-discharge provision.

Conclusion Variations in working practices have resulted in a lack of consistency in the provision of and access to services for patients with dementia, as well as gaps in care provision. However, the examples of effective practice that were identified in this study could be incorporated into services to enhance the care of these patients.

Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2024.e1713

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

v.baxter1@yorksj.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Baxter V, Kennedy M, Speed E et al (2024) Meeting the needs of patients with dementia to reduce hospital stays: a qualitative exploration of patient pathways and services. Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2024.e1713

Published online: 06 August 2024

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