“To be a dementia-friendly hospital, I think you need to …” - The perspectives of professional dementia experts

Introduction: Dementia-friendly hospitals (DFH) are mentioned as one of several key initiatives in national dementia strategies. In our previous integrative review, we identified 17 descriptions of DFHs and analysed six characteristics of DFH: continuity, person-centredness, consideration of phenomena within dementia, environment, valuing relatives and knowledge and expertise within the hospital (Manietta et al., BMC Geriatrics, 2022, 22, 468, 1-16). We also learned that the term DFH is based more on healthcare practice than research. To address this research gap, one step of our DEMfriendlyHospital study is to examine the perspectives of professional dementia experts working in hospitals in Germany.

Method: We used a qualitative design and conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with professional dementia experts from various healthcare professions (12 nurses, two physicians, and one physiotherapist). Data were collected between November 2021 and March 2022. Using an inductive content analysis, we furthermore analysed the interviews in a participatory way involving a group of research associates and professional dementia experts.

Results: From the professional dementia experts’ perspectives, a dementia-friendly hospital needs to focus on the people with dementia, their relatives and also on the staff who care for them. A DFH is characterised by specific hospital processes, structures and environment which consider the needs of people with dementia, dementia-specific knowledge and the skills of hospital staff, their awareness and attitude towards people with dementia. A DFH needs the social inclusion of patients with dementia and their perception as a person as well as the involvement of relatives, who are an important support for the patients and their care.

Conclusion: There are links between our results from interviews with professional dementia experts and our integrative review. At the same time, the perspectives of patients with dementia and their relatives are underrepresented. To fill this gap, our next step is to interview people with dementia who are hospitalised and their relatives, aiming to enhance the description of a DFH and its characteristics.