Project Duration
June 2015 - June 2018
Funder
NIHR (HS&DR programme 13/114/93)
Project Staff
- Rowan Harwood (PI) 1
- Sarah Goldberg2
- Becca O'Brien 3
- Rebecca Allwood1
- Ruth Parry2
- Justine Schneider4
- Alison Pilnick4
- Louise Thomson5
- Kate Sartain (PPI)
Staff Institutions
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- The University of Nottingham, School of Health Sciences
- Nottingham Citycare Partnership
- The University of Nottingham, School of Sociology
- Insititue of Mental Health
Overview
The development and testing of a communication skills training intervention for healthcare professionals caring for people with dementia in acute hospitals.
Background
Successful communication between health care staff and patients and their families is central to safe, effective and high quality health care. Dementia often causes deficits that make communication difficult, and this requires health care staff to have greater communication skills.
Aims
This research aims to develop and test a communication skills training intervention for healthcare professionals (HCPs) caring for people with dementia (PWD) in acute hospitals.
Study details
The study will examine the types of communication are most beneficial in promoting positive interactions with patients with dementia using observations and video recording. A toolbox of effective practice will be produced. We will develop a training course using actors to simulate real world situations and an online e-learning resource. We will test our training intervention on forty healthcare professionals to see if it improves their skills and confidence in communicating with people with dementia.
Stage of Development
Data collection is complete. We are now analysing the data.
Dissemination
Lukasz Tanajewski, Matthew Franklin, Georgios Gkountouras, Vladislav Berdunov, Judi Edmans, Simon Conroy, Lucy E. Bradshaw, John R. F. Gladman, and Rachel A. Elliott. Cost-Effectiveness of a Specialist Geriatric Medical Intervention for Frail Older People Discharged from Acute Medical Units: Economic Evaluation in a Two-Centre Randomised Controlled Trial (AMIGOS). PLoS One. 2015; 10(5): e0121340.