What influences self-perceived competence and confidence in dementia care home staff? A systematic review

Dementia care staff working in long-term care settings are often exposed to a variety of complex situations that can be emotionally challenging, and a lack of adequate support and limited training opportunities may contribute to high levels of staff turnover in this area. Good-quality training may be beneficial for improving the quality of care provided, and in improving staff confidence and morale. This systematic review aimed to establish how dementia care home staff perceived their own competence and confidence in relation to the care they deliver, whether there are any specific interventions that improve these feelings, and whether feeling more competent and confident impacts on care delivery.

A search of the literature focusing on staff perceptions of competence and confidence identified 14 873 studies. Following the removal of duplicates and papers that did not meet the inclusion criteria, 19 studies were included in the review and subject to quality assessment.

Studies varied in terms of quality and design, and were categorised as either intervention or non-intervention studies. Four studies found a significant increase in feelings of competence and confidence following intervention, although many studies did not statistically analyze their data. The most successful interventions seemed to be those that involved practical support alongside education, and non-intervention studies highlighted the importance of specific dementia and palliative care training with regard to feelings of competence and confidence.

Teaching alone may not be an adequate method of training dementia care staff, and the most successful interventions were those where practical support was also provided. Most studies suggested that improvements in competence and confidence also had benefits for care delivery and staff wellbeing. More research needs to be done using validated outcome measures and with competence and confidence as the primary aim.