Experiences of implementing person-centered care for individuals living with dementia among nursing staff within collaborative practices: A meta-synthesis

Abstract

Background: Person-centered care is considered standard care in long-term care for individuals living with dementia. However, qualitative reviews that synthesize the staff experiences of the implementation of person-centered care are lacking.

Objective: This review aims to synthesize the experiences of nursing staff members after the implementation of person-centered care for individuals living with dementia.

Design: A meta-synthesis was conducted.

Data sources: Overall, five electronic databases (i.e., PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library) were searched for the following terms: "dementia," "person-centered care," and "qualitative." The search was limited to articles published in English from January 1998 to December 2021, considering the period when person-centered care was applied in dementia care.

Review methods: Qualitative content analysis was conducted using a person-centered nursing framework. Meta-data analysis, meta-method, and meta-theory analysis were used to synthesize the results of the included studies. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool.

Results: Altogether, 19 studies were included in this review. Through meta-synthesis, 12 themes, including professionally competent, perspective shift, shared decision-making among staff, appropriate supportive system, understanding and respecting individuals living with dementia, interaction with persons living with dementia and their family members, collaboration among staff members, concern about the well-being of an individual living with dementia, meaningful relationship between staff members and individuals living with dementia, quality care, reflections for maintenance, and barriers to overcome, emerged.

Conclusions: A person-centered nursing framework could be implemented in person-centered care for individuals living with dementia. However, the framework should be modified based on the characteristics of individuals living with dementia. Additionally, reflection strategies for maintenance and barriers are added to facilitate successful person-centered care implementation.

Registration: The study was registered with PROSPERO (International prospective register of systematic reviews) in May 2022 (registration number: CRD42022316097).