‘Getting to Know Me’: the development and evaluation of a training programme for enhancing skills in the care of people with dementia in general hospital settings

Abstract

Objective: The aims of the study were to report on the development and evaluation of a staff training intervention in dementia care designed for use in the general hospital setting: the ‘Getting to Know Me’ training programme. The study also aimed to undertake initial psychometric analysis on two new outcome scales designed to measure knowledge and confidence in dementia care.Methods: The study comprised two phases. The first phase comprised the design of two questionnaires which are shared within this paper: Confidence in Dementia (CODE) Scale and Knowledge in Dementia (KIDE) Scale. In phase two, staff undertook the ‘Getting to Know Me’ training programme (n = 71). The impact of the programme was evaluated using a pre–post design which explored: (1) changes in confidence in dementia; (2) changes in knowledge in dementia; and (3) changes in beliefs about challenging behaviour.Results: The psychometric properties of the CODE and KIDE scales are reported. Statistically significant change was identified pre–post training on all outcome measures. Clinically meaningful change was demonstrated on the CODE scale.Conclusions: The ‘Getting to Know Me’ programme was well received and had a significant impact on staff knowledge and confidence. Our findings add to a growing evidence base which will be strengthened by further robust studies, the exploration of the impact of staff training on direct patient outcomes, and further identification of ways in which to transfer principles of care from specialist dementia environments into general hospital settings.

Keywords:

• acute care
• dementia
• general hospital
• scale development
• staff training

Acknowledgements

Advisory group: Gwen Ainsworth, Brian Briggs, Malcolm Campbell, Emily Feilding, Ann Johnson, Mike Howorth, Stephanie Jolly, Andrew Powell, Rebecca Wild, and Gillian Zajac-Roles.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by, and undertaken as part of, the Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) programme. The HIEC programme was developed to support the delivery of high-quality healthcare, provide education and training, promote innovation in healthcare, and lead to adoption of research. One of the main aims of the HIEC programme was to produce sustainable change in practice within the NHS.