Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network, 130 Dunn Ave, Toronto, M6K 2R7, Canada.
Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
BMC Geriatr. 2018 Oct 4;18(1):235. doi: 10.1186/s12877-018-0917-x.
The prevalence of vision and hearing loss is higher amongst older individuals with dementia, as well as higher in long-term care settings than in the wider community. However, the incidence of sensory impairment is underreported and often goes untreated. In this study, we aimed to understand nurses' current experiences of screening and caring for long-term care residents who have dementia and sensory impairment.
As part of a larger study on the sensory screening of long-term care residents with dementia, an environmental scan was conducted with front-line healthcare providers. We report here on the findings from the content analysis of individual, semi-structured interviews with nurses working in two long-term care homes in Southern Ontario, Canada. Twenty regulated nurses, including designated resident assessment coordinators, working full- or part-time with individuals who have dementia, participated across the two sites. All interviews were transcribed, and their contents reviewed and coded for themes by means of inductive thematic analysis.
Following a systematic and recursive approach, three analysts identified several themes relating to: 1) the sensory screening process, 2) communication strategies, and 3) quality of life, sensory loss, and dementia. Participants reported on the strengths and limitations of screening procedures, what improvements should be made, which informal strategies are effective, and the continued professional development that is needed.
Nurses demonstrated insight into the facilitators and barriers to effective screening and care of residents with dementia and sensory impairments, and expressed the need for further education, more suitable screening tools, and formalised accountability within the screening process for vision and hearing loss in these long-term care residents.
痴呆症老年患者以及长期护理机构中的视力和听力损失的患病率高于更广泛的社区。然而，感官障碍的发病率报告不足，且往往得不到治疗。在这项研究中，我们旨在了解护士目前对患有痴呆症和感官障碍的长期护理居民进行筛查和护理的经验。
作为对痴呆症长期护理居民感官筛查的更大研究的一部分，对一线医疗保健提供者进行了环境扫描。我们在此报告对在加拿大安大略省南部两个长期护理院工作的护士进行的个人、半结构化访谈的内容分析结果。两个地点共有 20 名注册护士参与，包括指定的居民评估协调员，他们全职或兼职与患有痴呆症的个人一起工作。所有访谈均进行了转录，并通过归纳主题分析对其内容进行了审查和编码主题。
三位分析师采用系统和递归的方法，确定了与以下内容相关的几个主题：1）感官筛查过程，2）沟通策略，以及 3）生活质量、感官丧失和痴呆症。参与者报告了筛查程序的优势和局限性、应进行哪些改进、哪些非正式策略有效以及需要持续的专业发展。
护士对有效筛查和护理痴呆症和感官障碍患者的促进因素和障碍有深入的了解，并表示需要进一步的教育、更合适的筛查工具以及在长期护理居民中正式确定视力和听力损失筛查过程中的问责制。
