Nurses' attitudes and views on the application of antipsychotics in patients with dementia: A systematic review of qualitative studies

Abstract

Objective: This systematic review describes nurses' attitudes and views on the application of antipsychotics in patients with dementia.

Design: Systematic review.

Methods: Data were collected from eight databases: CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, CNKI, Wanfang Data and CSTJ. Qualitative, peer-reviewed, original studies published in English or Chinese before April 2019 on nurses' attitudes and views on the application of antipsychotics in patients with dementia were included. The studies were selected by screening titles, abstracts and full texts, and the quality of each study was assessed by two researchers independently. Data were analyzed using content analysis.

Results: Ten studies were chosen for the review. The results were divided into two parts: nurses' general attitude and views on factors related to antipsychotics. Factors related to antipsychotic use cited by nurses were divided into three main categories: the quality of nurses, the control of BPSD, and organizational factors. The findings establish that nurses have many misconceptions about the use of antipsychotics in patients with dementia. There are many barriers to reducing the use of antipsychotics in people with dementia.

Conclusions: The nurses' attitudes toward the application of antipsychotics in patients with dementia are mainly divided into positive and negative attitudes. Changing the organizational climates and providing relevant education for employees are of great significance to change the current situation of antipsychotic use for patients with dementia. In addition, it is very important to further increase the amount of research conducted on nonpharmacological interventions.

Keywords: Antipsychotics; Dementia; Medication; Nurses; Systematic review.