Background: In our context, as in other European countries, care of patients with cognitive disorders or dementia still represents a major challenge in hospital settings. Thus, there is a need to ensure quality and continuity of care, avoiding preventable readmissions, which involve an increase in public expenses. Healthcare professionals need to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to care for hospitalized patients with cognitive disorders and dementia.
Methods: A quasi-experimental design with repeated observations, taken at baseline, post-intervention, and at one and three months post-intervention, in people hospitalized with cognitive disorders or dementia. The study will be carried out in four general hospitals in Spain and will include 430 PwD and their caregivers. The intervention was previously developed using the Balance of Care methodology where nurses, physicians, social workers and informal caregivers identified the best practices for this specific care situation. We aim to personalize the intervention, as recommended in the literature. The study has an innovative approach that includes new technologies and previous scientific evidence. Valid, reliable instruments will be used to measure the intervention outcomes. Quality of care and comorbidity will be analyzed based on the use of restraints and psychotropic medication, pain control, falls, functional capacity and days of hospitalization. Continuity of care will be measured based on post-discharge emergency hospital visits, visits to specialists, cost, and inter-sectorial communication among healthcare professionals and informal caregivers. Statistical analysis will be performed to analyze the effect of the intervention on quality of care, comorbidity and continuity of care for patients with dementia.
Discussion: Our aim is to helping healthcare professionals to improve the management of cognitive disorders or dementia care during hospitalization and the quality of care, comorbidity and continuity of care in patients with dementia and their informal caregivers. Moving towards dementia-friendly environments is vital to achieving the optimum care outcomes.
Trial registration: Registered in Clinical Trials. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04048980 retrospectively registered on the 6th August 2019. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ Protocol Record HCB/2017/0499.
Sponsor: Hospital Clinic Barcelona.
Keywords: Continuity of patient care; Dementia; Elderly; Femur fracture; Intervention; Nursing care.