Dementia care behind prison walls: A descriptive study understanding nurse's knowledge and educational needs

To establish correctional nurses' dementia knowledge base and identify their educational needs related to caring for prisoners with dementia.

The aging prison population is growing, posing a heightened risk of dementia among older inmates. This study examined the knowledge and perceived educational needs of nurses caring for prisoners with dementia.

A descriptive study which was qualitative in nature was undertaken.

Data was collected using an online survey which included Demographics, the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Tool 2 and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequency were used to analyse the quantitative data and a qualitative analysis was undertaken to identify common themes and extract meaningful insight from the open-ended questions.

Nurses showed a general understanding of dementia and its environmental impact but lacked knowledge of late-stage changes. Eight main themes relating more broadly to the environmental and staffing challenges faced by nurses are presented.

Although participants appeared to have a reasonable dementia knowledge base the study highlights the need for specific dementia education and support focussed on the correctional setting and collaborative partnerships with dementia experts in the community.