TY - JOUR
T1 - Constant Observation Practices for Hospitalized Persons With Dementia
T2 - A Survey Study
AU - Sinvani, Liron
AU - Strunk, Andrew
AU - Patel, Vidhi
AU - Shah, Shalin
AU - Mulvany, Colm
AU - Kozikowski, Andrzej
AU - Boltz, Marie
AU - Pekmezaris, Renee
AU - Wolf-Klein, Gisele
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
PY - 2019/6/1
Y1 - 2019/6/1
N2 - Despite substantial staffing and cost implications, the use of constant observation (CO) has been poorly described in the acute care setting. The purpose of this cross-sectional, multicenter, survey study was to assess hospital provider practices regarding the use of CO. Of the 543 surveys distributed, 231 were completed across 5 sites. Most respondents worked on medical units (67.5%), as nurses (49.1%); 44.8% were white; and 75.6% were female. The majority (84.2%) reported at least 1 patient/wk requiring CO. Most frequent indication for CO was dementia with agitation (60.7%), in patients older than 70 (62.3%) and predominantly by nurse assistants (93.9%). Almost half (47.3%) stated they felt pressured to discontinue CO, despite a strong perceived benefit (76%). Enhanced observation (92.6%) was most frequently used to decrease CO. Finally, 77.9% perceived that those performing CO lacked training. Our study highlights the widespread use of CO for hospitalized older adults with dementia.
AB - Despite substantial staffing and cost implications, the use of constant observation (CO) has been poorly described in the acute care setting. The purpose of this cross-sectional, multicenter, survey study was to assess hospital provider practices regarding the use of CO. Of the 543 surveys distributed, 231 were completed across 5 sites. Most respondents worked on medical units (67.5%), as nurses (49.1%); 44.8% were white; and 75.6% were female. The majority (84.2%) reported at least 1 patient/wk requiring CO. Most frequent indication for CO was dementia with agitation (60.7%), in patients older than 70 (62.3%) and predominantly by nurse assistants (93.9%). Almost half (47.3%) stated they felt pressured to discontinue CO, despite a strong perceived benefit (76%). Enhanced observation (92.6%) was most frequently used to decrease CO. Finally, 77.9% perceived that those performing CO lacked training. Our study highlights the widespread use of CO for hospitalized older adults with dementia.
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U2 - 10.1177/1533317519826272
DO - 10.1177/1533317519826272
M3 - Article
C2 - 30704268
AN - SCOPUS:85061100146
SN - 1533-3175
VL - 34
SP - 223
EP - 230
JO - American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
JF - American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
IS - 4
ER -