Communication and training interventions for enhanced dementia care in a residential care setting: a best practice implementation project.

Introduction: Effective communication is essential in dementia care, as it helps reduce patient anxiety and enhances caregiver-patient interactions. However, many caregivers lack specialized training in dementia communication, leading to challenges in daily care.

Objective: This project aimed to enhance dementia communication skills among caregivers at the Hua-Suei Nursing Home in Taiwan by addressing training barriers and implementing best practices.

Methods: A three-phase approach was used, following the JBI Evidence Implementation Framework. This included a baseline audit of compliance with seven JBI-recommended best practice criteria, tailored improvement strategies using the JBI Getting Research into Practice (GRiP) approach, and a follow-up audit to measure changes. The Dementia Communication Knowledge Assessment (DCKA) quiz evaluated caregivers' knowledge before and after the training.

Results: At baseline, 92% of caregivers received classroom-based training, but only 30.4% observed instructors frequently asking questions, and 17.4% saw tailored content. None of the participants had specific dementia communication training, resulting in 0% compliance with detailed enquiries. The average pre-training score was 56.8/100. After implementing strategies such as adaptive scheduling and multifaceted training, compliance rates improved to 100% across all criteria in the follow-up audit. The average post-training score increased to 96.8/100, indicating significant enhancement in caregivers' understanding and application of dementia communication techniques.

Conclusions: The project improved compliance with best practices and enhanced the caregivers' dementia communication skills. Correcting the misconception that general dementia training is sufficient is therefore crucial. Sustainable improvement requires ongoing professional development, integrating training into organizational culture, and regular follow-up audits. Future efforts should expand these training programs and examine their long-term impact on caregiver performance.

Spanish abstract: http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A360.