The effect of training on dementia care among nurses: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Dementia is currently a global concern in aging societies. Nurses have major roles in caring for patients with dementia in various settings. Many training on dementia have been conducted for nurses and other health staffs. However, reviews of the effect of the trainings on nurses are still scarce. AIM: This paper aimed to review the impact of training on dementia care among nurses in different settings. METHODS: Systematic database search of PubMed, Medline, EBSCO, and ProQuest was conducted from 1990 until February 2019. Keywords used were dementia, training, education, and nurses. Additional references were collected using Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria were primary papers, written in English, involved nurses, related to dementia, and measured the effect of training. Review followed the Cochrane guidebook and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. RESULTS: From 2039 papers, this review included 20 articles. For methodology, most studies employed quantitative methods (90%). Only one article used qualitative methods (5%) and another used mixed methods (5%). Pre-test and post-test were the most common study design used and four articles used randomized control trials. The settings of the studies were nursing homes or long-term care facilities (45%), hospitals (35%), and other settings (20%). Length of the training varied from 2 h to 18 h within a maximum period of 8 months. The various outcome measures were categorized into four domains: Cognitive, physical, psychological, and working performance. The results of the review indicated that training and education for nurses can improve their knowledge, attitude, confidence, and self-efficacy toward better dementia care. However, the results regarding staff burnout, stress, and physical health complaints are still unclear. CONCLUSION: Training and education in dementia care were varied and generally improved nurses’ capacities mainly in cognitive domain. However, the beneficial psychological effect and improvement in nurses’ working performance were questionable.