Reducing Hospital Admissions of People with Dementia

Project Title

Reducing Hospital Admissions of People with Dementia from Nursing Homes: Anticipating Care Needs

Research Focus:

Chronic Illness and Palliative Care

Funder & Dates

Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) (2016-18)

Principal Investigator or Primary Supervisor (if PhD project)

Dr Dorry McLaughlin, Lecturer in Palliative Care & Chronic Illness, School of Nursing & Midwifery

Co-Investigators or additional supervisors

Professor Kevin Brazil, Professor of Palliative Care, School of Nursing & Midwifery

Dr Gillian Carter, Lecturer in Chronic Illness, School of Nursing & Midwifery

Research Fellow(s) or PhD Student

Name & Institution of Collaborators

Name of External Partner Organisations

Dr Aine Abbott, GP/MacMillan GP Facilitator, Western Health and Social Care Trust

Linda Graham, Nursing Home Manager, Four Seasons Health Care

Rema Boreland, Oncology and Palliative Care Facilitator for Nursing Homes, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Lesley Nelson, Community Specialist Palliative Care Physiotherapist, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust

Description of Project:

Aim; Methods; Expected Outcomes

Aim: The overall aim of this project was to reduce hospital admissions of people with dementia from nursing homes through anticipating the care needs of residents. Methods: In Phase 1 a regional survey of nursing homes designated to people with dementia (n=118) took place to determine if recognised strategies, linked to anticipating the care needs of residents and evidenced to reduce hospital admissions, were in place. Phase 2 focused on a regional audit of one resident with dementia in each nursing home, designated to people with dementia, who had recently died to determine if these recognised strategies had been implemented in practice.  Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data and open-ended questions were analysed using codes and categories of data.