Creating a Strategy for Improving Dementia Care in a General Hospital / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

    Inpatients with dementia are prone to delirium and aimless wandering, and they often become verbally and physically abusive. Thus, caring for these patients places considerable burden on nurses. This article reports on the creation of a strategy for dementia care in a general hospital. Subjects were staff of Konan Kosei Hospital ─ 2 deputy chief nurses, 1 section chief nurse, 3 unit chief nurses, 2 medical social workers, 1 integrated community support social worker, and 1 section chief nurse (home-visiting division) ─ and 2 independent care managers. Focus group interviews were conducted to collect data, and extracted labels were classified into subcategories and categories according to similarity in meaning. A two-dimensional development method was used to prioritize tasks in each category. The highest priority tasks were discussed and sorted using characteristic diagrams. It is necessary for a new team dedicated to dementia care to be created and for education, enlightenment, and training to be provided so as to increase understanding of dementia care and empathy among a wider range of professionals working in the hospital.