ArticleAge and ageing2014
Preparation to care for confused older patients in general hospitals: a study of UK health professionals.
Article in Age and ageing, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The effect of psychosocial and healthcare interventions on reducing hospitalization in people with dementia: an umbrella review.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Pooled it
- What Counts as 'Real' in Healthcare Interaction? Examining Human/Technology Hybrid Simulation Interactions in Communication Skills Training.Sociology of health & illness · 2026Article
- A Realist Evaluation of a Rapid Response System for Mental State Deterioration in Acute Hospital Settings.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Article
- A Realist-Informed Evaluation of a Rapid Response System for Mental State Deterioration in Acute Hospitals: Testing Program Theories Through Interviews.International journal of mental health nursing · 2025Article
- Health and Social Care Professionals' Experience of Psychological Safety Within Their Occupational Setting: A Thematic Synthesis Review.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Review
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- Article
- Recipe for primary prevention of delirium in hospitalized older patients.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2022Review
- Barriers and enablers to implementing 'DEALTS2' simulation-based train-the-trainer dementia training programme in hospital settings across England: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Perceptions of Care Quality during an Acute Hospital Stay for Persons with Dementia and Family/Carers.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Reframing dementia: Nursing students' relational learning with rather than about people with dementia. A constructivist grounded theory study.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2021Article
- Article
- Improving Treatment of Elderly Patients by Interprofessional Education in a Quality Network of Geriatric Medicine: Protocol for Evaluating an Educational Initiative.JMIR research protocols · 2019Article
- Article
- Delirium and Antipsychotic Medications at Hospital Intake: Screening to Decrease Likelihood of Aggression in Inpatient Settings Among Unknown Patients With Dementia.American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias · 2019Article
- Using conversation analysis to inform role play and simulated interaction in communications skills training for healthcare professionals: identifying avenues for further development through a scoping review.BMC medical education · 2018Article
- Patients with dementia in acute care hospitals : A cross-sectional study of physicians' experiences and attitudes.Zeitschrift fur Gerontologie und Geriatrie · 2018Article
- Article
- The VOICE study - A before and after study of a dementia communication skills training course.PloS one · 2018Article
- Should I stay or should I go? How healthcare professionals close encounters with people with dementia in the acute hospital setting.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivein the UK, two-thirds of patients in general hospitals are older than 70, of whom half have dementia or delirium or both. Our objective was to explore doctors, nurses and allied health professionals' perceptions of their preparation to care for confused older patients on general hospital wards.
methods: using a quota sampling strategy across 11 medical, geriatric and orthopaedic wards in a British teaching hospital, we conducted 60 semi-structured interviews with doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals and analysed the data using the Consensual Qualitative Research approach.
results: there was consensus among participants that education, induction and in-service training left them inadequately prepared and under-confident to care for confused older patients. Many doctors reported initial assessments of confused older patients as difficult. They admitted inadequate knowledge of mental health disorders, including the diagnostic features of delirium and dementia. Handling agitation and aggression were considered top priorities for training, particularly for nurses. Multidisciplinary team meetings were highly valued but were reported as too infrequent. Participants valued specialist input but reported difficulties gaining such support. Communication with confused patients was regarded as particularly challenging, both in terms of patients making their needs known, and staff conveying information to patients. Participants reported emotional and behavioural responses including frustration, stress, empathy, avoidance and low job satisfaction.
conclusion: our findings indicate that a revision of training across healthcare professions in the UK is required, and that increased specialist support should be provided, so that the workforce is properly prepared to care for older patients with cognitive problems.
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