Testing the sensitivity of two dementia knowledge instruments in dementia workforce education

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Medical Education
• Health Sciences

Background:

• Dementia education is crucial for enhancing care and support for individuals with dementia.
• Previous studies indicated ceiling effects in dementia knowledge assessments among Scottish health and social care staff using the Knowledge in Dementia Scale (KIDE).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the sensitivity of two dementia knowledge instruments: the Knowledge in Dementia Scale (KIDE) and the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS).
• To compare the effectiveness of KIDE and DKAS in measuring dementia knowledge in healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• A pre- and post-intervention study design was employed.
• The study involved 117 post-registered Health and Social Care staff participants in Scotland.
• Both DKAS and KIDE scales were administered before and after the National Dementia Champions Education Programme, with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests used for analysis.

Main Results:

• The KIDE scale exhibited persistent ceiling effects at both pre- and post-intervention stages.
• The DKAS demonstrated a different score distribution, with ceiling effects observed for KIDE not present in DKAS.
• Only 6% of participants achieved the maximum score on the DKAS post-intervention, indicating greater score variability.

Conclusions:

• The DKAS is suggested as a more effective instrument for assessing dementia knowledge in post-registered health and social care staff compared to KIDE.
• While the DKAS showed improved sensitivity, some evidence of ceiling effects persisted post-intervention.
• Further validation of both scales in diverse educational populations and development of new assessment items for trained staff are recommended.