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Cited by 107Innovations in Medical EducationDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchHuman Resource Development and Performance Evaluation

What works in delivering dementia education or training to hospital staff? A critical synthesis of the evidence

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Surr, Claire A., Gates, Cara·2017·International Journal of Nursing Studies
DOI 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.08.002
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Abstract

Background The quality of care delivered to people with dementia in hospital settings is of international concern. People with dementia occupy up to one quarter of acute hospital beds, however, staff working in hospitals report lack of knowledge and skills in caring for this group. There is limited evidence about the most effective approaches to training hospital staff on dementia.Objective The purpose of this literature review was to examine published evidence on the most effective approaches to dementia training and education for hospital staff.Design and review methods The review was conducted using critical synthesis and included qualitative, quantitative and mixed/multi- methods studies. Kirkpatrick's four level model for the evaluation of training interventions was adopted to structure the review.Data sources The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, AMED, British Education Index, Education Abstracts, ERIC (EbscoHost), The Cochrane Library-Cochrane reviews, Economic evaluations, CENTRAL (Wiley), HMIC (Ovid), ASSIA, IBSS (Proquest), Conference Proceedings Citation Indexes (Web of Science), using a combination of keyword for the following themes: Dementia/Alzheimer's, training/education, staff knowledge and patient outcomes.Results A total of 20 papers were included in the review, the majority of which were low or medium quality, impacting on generalisability. The 16 different training programmes evaluated in the studies varied in terms of duration and mode of delivery, although most employed face-to-face didactic techniques. Studies predominantly reported on reactions to training and knowledge, only one study evaluated outcomes across all of the levels of the Kirkpatrick model. Key features of training that appeared to be more acceptable and effective were identified related to training content, delivery methods, practicalities, duration and support for implementation.Conclusions The review methodology enabled inclusion of a broad range of studies and permitted common features of successful programmes to be identified. Such features may be used in the design of future dementia training programmes, to increase their potential for effectiveness. Further research on the features of effective dementia training for hospital staff is required.

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  • Healthcare professionals responsible for discharge planning are more likely to learn 'on the job' and training programmes often lack follow-up over time, limiting sustained improvements.

    “Research has also found that HCPs responsible for discharge planning are more likely to learn ‘on the job’ and training programmes often lack follow-up over time, limiting sustained improvements [102, 107, 108].”

    From Do hospital-to-home transitions work for older adults with multiple long-term conditions including dementia? A realist review (2025) · cites this paper as [107]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) says the studies commonly lacked post-training follow-up, leaving longer-term benefits uncertain; the few studies with longer follow-up found that initial gains in staff confidence declined. It does not identify discharge-planning professionals as more likely to learn on the job, or establish that a lack of follow-up itself caused the decline. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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2 of the 57 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP), 2014. CASP Checklists. CASP, Oxford.
  2. Frade, S., 2005. Developing a learning set within dementia care: a practice development project. Dementia 4 (2), 307-312.
  3. Tamkin, P., Yarnall, J., Kerrin, M., 2002. Kirkpatrick and beyond: A review of models of training evaluation. The Institute for Employment Studies, Brighton.
  4. Zientz, J., Rackley, A., Chapman, S.B., Hopper, T., Mahendra, N., Kim, E.S., Cleary, S., 2007. Evidence-based practice recommendations for dementia: educating caregivers on Alzheimer's disease and training communication strategies. Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology 15 (1), liii-lxiv.

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Authors
Surr, C. A., & Gates, C.
Affiliations
Leeds Beckett University (GB)
Corresponding author
Surr, Claire A.
ORCID
Surr, Claire A.
Venue
International Journal of Nursing Studies
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-10
Volume
75
Pages
172-188
ISSN
0020-7489 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.08.002
OpenAlex
W2743075364
Cited by
107
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 8
FWCI
1.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • International Journal of Nursing Studies (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
  • Leeds Beckett Repository (Leeds Beckett University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
The Department of Health Policy Research Programme
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Human Resource Development and Performance Evaluation
Keywords
dementia education, hospital staff training, dementia care, Kirkpatrick model, training effectiveness, employee knowledge, training content, training delivery methods, implementation support, acute hospital care
MeSH terms
Dementia, Humans, Inservice Training, Personnel, Hospital, Evidence-Based Medicine

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