The provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their role
Abstract Background Primary care nurses can assist General Practitioner’s to identify cognition concerns and support patient health self-management for those experiencing cognitive impairment or dementia. This support may lead to more appropriate care and better health outcomes for this group. Conse...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-06-01
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| Series: | BMC Family Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01467-z |
| _version_ | 1817977955758899200 |
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| author | Caroline Gibson Dianne Goeman Alison Hutchinson Mark Yates Dimity Pond |
| author_facet | Caroline Gibson Dianne Goeman Alison Hutchinson Mark Yates Dimity Pond |
| author_sort | Caroline Gibson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Primary care nurses can assist General Practitioner’s to identify cognition concerns and support patient health self-management for those experiencing cognitive impairment or dementia. This support may lead to more appropriate care and better health outcomes for this group. Consequently, there is a need to identify the role of the primary care nurse in dementia care provision, nurse perceptions of this role and to also understand the barriers and enablers that may influence any current or potential primary care nurse role in dementia care provision. Methods Eight focus groups were conducted with a total of 36 primary care nurses. Data was transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Results There was a high level of agreement between primary care nurses that they had a role in provision of dementia care. This role was largely attributed to the strong therapeutic relationship between nurses and patients. However, dementia care provision was not without its challenges, including a perceived lack of knowledge, limited resources and the hierarchical nature of general practice. Three main themes were identified: personal attributes of the primary care nurse; professional attributes of the primary care nurse role and the context of practice. Six sub-themes were identified: knowing the person; overcoming stigma; providing holistic care; knowing what to do; team culture and working in the system. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest primary care nurses have a role in dementia care provision and, there is a need to provide support for the nurse to deliver person-centred health care in the context of cognitive impairment. As the demand for good quality primary care for people living with dementia increases, the role of the primary care nurse should be considered in primary care policy discussions. The knowledge gained from this study could be useful in informing dementia training content, to provide better prompts in the health assessment and care planning templates used by primary care nurses to better identify the care needs of people with a cognitive impairment and to develop dementia care guidelines for primary care nurses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:23:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c89238ab25914f7f909ed66a215f3226 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2296 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:23:06Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Family Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-c89238ab25914f7f909ed66a215f32262022-12-22T02:27:10ZengBMCBMC Family Practice1471-22962021-06-0122111310.1186/s12875-021-01467-zThe provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their roleCaroline Gibson0Dianne Goeman1Alison Hutchinson2Mark Yates3Dimity Pond4Faculty of Health and Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of NewcastleFaculty of Health and Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, Central Clinical School, University of Newcastle, Monash UniversitySchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash HealthCentre for Quality and Patient Safety ResearchInstitute for Health Transformation, Deakin UniversityDeakin University School of Medicine, Ballarat Health ServicesFaculty of Health and Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of NewcastleAbstract Background Primary care nurses can assist General Practitioner’s to identify cognition concerns and support patient health self-management for those experiencing cognitive impairment or dementia. This support may lead to more appropriate care and better health outcomes for this group. Consequently, there is a need to identify the role of the primary care nurse in dementia care provision, nurse perceptions of this role and to also understand the barriers and enablers that may influence any current or potential primary care nurse role in dementia care provision. Methods Eight focus groups were conducted with a total of 36 primary care nurses. Data was transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Results There was a high level of agreement between primary care nurses that they had a role in provision of dementia care. This role was largely attributed to the strong therapeutic relationship between nurses and patients. However, dementia care provision was not without its challenges, including a perceived lack of knowledge, limited resources and the hierarchical nature of general practice. Three main themes were identified: personal attributes of the primary care nurse; professional attributes of the primary care nurse role and the context of practice. Six sub-themes were identified: knowing the person; overcoming stigma; providing holistic care; knowing what to do; team culture and working in the system. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest primary care nurses have a role in dementia care provision and, there is a need to provide support for the nurse to deliver person-centred health care in the context of cognitive impairment. As the demand for good quality primary care for people living with dementia increases, the role of the primary care nurse should be considered in primary care policy discussions. The knowledge gained from this study could be useful in informing dementia training content, to provide better prompts in the health assessment and care planning templates used by primary care nurses to better identify the care needs of people with a cognitive impairment and to develop dementia care guidelines for primary care nurses.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01467-zDementia carePeople living with dementiaPrimary care nursesGeneral practice |
| spellingShingle | Caroline Gibson Dianne Goeman Alison Hutchinson Mark Yates Dimity Pond The provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their role BMC Family Practice Dementia care People living with dementia Primary care nurses General practice |
| title | The provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their role |
| title_full | The provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their role |
| title_fullStr | The provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their role |
| title_full_unstemmed | The provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their role |
| title_short | The provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their role |
| title_sort | provision of dementia care in general practice practice nurse perceptions of their role |
| topic | Dementia care People living with dementia Primary care nurses General practice |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01467-z |
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