Abstract
- Collaboration between a nursing home and an ambulatory geriatric-psychiatric team to patients with Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD)
Introduction
Healthcare professionals in nursing homes collaborate with specialized healthcare services to manage and support patients with BPSD. Geriatric- psychiatric ambulatory teams from the specialist health service provide professional assistance to healthcare professionals and family members for patients with geriatric psychiatric disorders and BPSD. This outreach- service is not very developed and could be further expanded. The study aimed to elucidate the collaboration between municipal health services and ambulatory geriatric-psychiatric teams within the specialist healthcare service.
Method
In this qualitative study we conducted individual interviews with six healthcare professionals representing four different nursing homes. The analysis is inspired by systematic text condensation. The research project has been submitted to the Norwegian Centre for Research Data.
Results
The informants expressed the importance of enhanced interaction with the specialist healthcare service in general and to patients with BPSD in spesific. When the informants receiving support from the team, the interaction is deemed more valuable and constructive. They find a shared meeting point with opportunity for sharing knowledge and engaging in dialogue.
Conclusion
The study indicates that health professionals see the importance of improved collaboration with specialized health services for patients with BPDS. When ambulatory teams engage actively, they experience collaboration characterized by closeness and shared understanding. The ambulatory-geriatric psychiatric team may become more well-known and the method of requesting professional help from the team can be made more transparent and clearer. It is also important that healthcare personnel proactively request professional assistance for patients with BPSD. With the increasing prevalence of patients with dementia, there is a need for further research to address the challenges in this area. Ambulatory geriatric-psychiatry teams are a service that should be explored further.