ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: to study the links between the Val.Graf.FVG form and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The Val.Graf.FVG form is a tool for a multidimensional evaluation of elderly people resident or with health domicile in Friuli Venezia Giulia and living in a care home. DESIGN: a qualitative analysis of the links between Val.Graf.FVG and ICF was performed following the mapping rules recommended by the literature. The links were searched for, with the support of a database, by two independent researchers expert in ICF and Val.Graf.FVG, respectively. When disagreement was present, a third researcher expert in ICF was involved. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: we searched for semantic links, semantic fields that cannot be linked and ICF constructs to which Val.Graf .FVG items refer to. RESULTS: 186 items out of 207 (89.9%) of the Val.Graf. FVG form could be semantically linked to 156 ICF categories. 21 items (10.1%) could not be linked. When looking at the constructs, it appears that while ICF assesses the level of functioning of an individual through four components (functions, structures, activity and participation, and environmental factors) put into operation by qualifiers (for example, capacity, performance), the Val.Graf.FVG form assesses the levels of autonomy and the quantity of personal and technological support needed by the elderly living in a care home. CONCLUSIONS: the mapping methodology accurately evaluates the characteristics and the conceptual structure of the measurement tools documented in the literature and/or used in care practice, facilitating their comparison. The analytical analysis of the items and constructs of the Val.Graf. FVG form confirmed that the aim of this tool is the definition of the support needed by an individual, while no information on his/her functioning level is given. Thus, the Val.Graf. FVG form should be used only to understand the quantity of resources necessary to assist elderly people living in a care home.
Subject(s)
Disability Evaluation , Geriatric Assessment , Health Status , Aged , HumansABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the daily interventions used by the nurses on disruptive vocalization (DV). DV includes all types of disturbing or unacceptable vocal expression: repetitive vocalization, verbal or nonverbal utterances, presented as inappropriate language, repeated and insistent demands, repeated calling out, shouting, complaining, or moaning that does not pertain to their circumstances or environment. A convenience sample of five nursing homes from the north of Italy, in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, was included in the study. A randomized selection of 87 daily shifts was selected. Institutionalized patients with dementia, but with no associated psychiatric disorders, were eligible. Nurses involved in the study added patients progressively. Nurses involved were asked to keep diaries to record strategies and durations for each episode of DV encountered during the allotted shift. In the total amount of observation time (36,540 minutes), 23.6% (8,653 minutes) of nursing care time involved working with and managing DV patients. The nurses recorded an average of 6.5 (302/46) vocalizations on morning shifts and 7.3 (302/41) during afternoon shifts, with an average duration of about a quarter of an hour each. Managing DV with multistrategies reduces the duration of the DV episode and increases the perceived effectiveness of management.
