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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Agitation in demented patients in an acute care hospital
— prevalence, disruptiveness and staff burden | | Author(s) | Rosa Sourial, Jane McCusker, Martin Cole |
| Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 13, no 2, June 2001 |
| Pages | pp 183-198 |
| Keywords | Behaviour disorders ; Dementia ; Hospital services ; Nurses ; Stress ; Canada. |
| Annotation | The prevalence of agitated behaviour in different populations with dementia ranges between 24% and 98%. Although agitated behaviours are potentially disruptive, little attention has been focused on the effects of these behaviours on nursing staff. This Canadian study is based on a sample of 56 demented patients in a long-term care unit. 27 staff who cared for these patients during three shifts over a 2-week period were interviewed to rate the frequency and disruptiveness of agitated behaviours using the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), and the burden of care using a modified version of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). 95% of the patients were reported to have at least one agitated behaviour; 75% at least one moderately disruptive behaviour; and a small group of 6 patients (11%) had 17 or more disruptive behaviours. The frequency of most behaviours did not vary significantly by shift. Length of stay on long-term care, Barthel Index score, and the use of psychotropic medications were significantly associated with the number of agitated behaviours. The prevalence of these behaviours is associated with staff burden. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-010911204 A |
| Classmark | EP: EA: LD: QTE: QNH: 7S |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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