Sensory-based interventions for the immediate de-escalation of agitation in people with dementia: A systematic review

Abstract

Objectives: Sensory-based interventions are commonly used to reduce the occurrence of agitation in people with dementia over extended periods. However, the evidence regarding their immediate de-escalation effects is unclear. The objectives of this systematic review are to (a) identify which sensory-based interventions have been used for de-escalating agitation and (b) examine the immediate effects of these interventions on de-escalating agitation in people with dementia.

Methods: A systematic review was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Data sources were identified by searching Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and CINAHL for publications up to 2 March 2022. The de-escalating agitation effect had to be measured during the intervention or within 15 min after commencing the treatment. Only randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies published in English were included.

Results: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria: two randomized controlled trials, one cross-over study, and six quasi-experimental studies. All were conducted in Western countries, involving a total of 246 participants. Music-related interventions were investigated in seven studies, and a positive effect on de-escalating agitation was found, with no side-effects. All of the studies had methodological limitations, including a single group design, blinding, an insufficient sample size, and imprecisely reported results.

Conclusion: There is a profound dearth of rigorous studies examining the immediate agitation de-escalating effects of sensory-based interventions on people with dementia. However, the limited evidence on music-related interventions is encouraging. More rigorous research is recommended to confirm the effects.

Keywords:

• Dementia
• agitation
• sensory-based intervention
• de-escalation
• music

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr Leung Isaac Sze Him for his assistance in statistical analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Data availability statement

All data that support the findings of this study are available in the Tables.