Building Clinical Leadership Competencies When Caring for Hospitalized Adults Experiencing Dementia

Attempting to improve the experience of hospitalized adults with dementia and reduce patient attendant costs, we addressed hospital nursing staff confidence managing responsive behaviors through education, mentorship, and individualized patient care planning for adults with dementia.Responsive behaviors (such as pacing, calling out) is a term used to describe behaviors demonstrated by a person with dementia as a way of responding to something negative, frustrating, or confusing in their social and physical environment.

Under time restraints, we performed a rapid environmental scan and developed internal clinical resources and a learning strategy that informed a quality improvement initiative that focused on dementia care of hospitalized patients.

Using quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, the interventions increased confidence, competency, and leadership in clinical nursing leaders and improved person-centered care planning practices. The cost of patient attendant usage for this patient population decreased by 28% in 1 year.

This intervention, which was not a copyrighted program associated with administration costs, improved hospital-based dementia care and staff confidence in dementia care and reduced annual costs associated with patient attendant useage.