Keywords
Dementia, Physiotherapy, Education, Training
This article is included in the Dementia Trials Ireland (DTI) and Dementia Research Network Ireland (DRNI) gateway.
Dementia, Physiotherapy, Education, Training
Dementia is one of the greatest health and social care challenges of our time1. Dementia is characterised by progressive cognitive impairment in domains such as memory, orientation, comprehension, language and judgement2. The complexity of dementia, coupled with the significant health and social care costs make dementia a major challenge to our healthcare system. As Ireland’s ageing population continues to grow, it is estimated that by 2036, there will be over 112,000 adults in Ireland living with dementia3. The consequences of dementia for the individual and family are profound as it is associated with impairment in both physical and functional ability, as well as non-cognitive symptoms (often called behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia). Physical impairments associated with dementia include impaired mobility, reduced muscle strength and poor balance while non-cognitive symptoms include agitation, anxiety, depression and delusions4. Rehabilitation interventions are an important component of the management of those with dementia and physiotherapy plays a key role in many aspects of dementia care, including the maintenance of mobility, falls risk assessment and strength training5. Even though physiotherapists working in acute and primary care settings carry a significant caseload of patients with dementia6, very little formal undergraduate and post-graduate training is available to allied health care professionals7. The World Health Organisation has acknowledged that developing the knowledge and skills of all healthcare professionals who are involved in dementia care is a priority8. Indeed the Irish National Dementia Strategy has included training and upskilling of healthcare professionals in dementia care as a primary objective3.
Understanding what constitutes effective education, for those caring for patients with dementia in the healthcare setting is an ongoing challenge9. The diversity of knowledge, abilities, skills and qualities required to be a competent healthcare professional in dementia care highlights both the complexity and importance of education in this area. However, there remains a gap in the literature on what effective dementia care training for physiotherapists should address, consist of, how it should be delivered and how it should be evaluated. Even though basic didactic knowledge is outlined in the curricula of most allied health professional courses10, Surr and Gates argued that the ability to effectively transfer theoretical knowledge from the curricula to clinical practice remains challenging9. A preliminary search of the JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and the Cochrane Library, Medline and CINAHL databases did not find any scoping reviews of dementia educational interventions for physiotherapists. Similarly, a search of the PROSPERO database found no similar systematic review protocol registered or currently ongoing. However, previous research9,11,12 has explored what constitutes effective dementia training and education for the wider health and social care workforce. For instance, a critical synthesis9 that analysed dementia training for hospital staff examined staff’s knowledge gains, changes in attitudes, confidence and behaviour change. This review found that the aspects of dementia training that were most effective are those strategies that participants can apply in their day to day practice and are related to the content and delivery9. The 20 papers included in this review by Surr and Gates9, evaluated 16 different training programmes, however, the methods of evaluation varied from study to study. Moreover, it is difficult to quantify perceived increase in knowledge as a result of training, as many questionnaires measuring knowledge are non-validated9. It is evident that dementia training can lead to more positive attitudes which in-turn results in improved patient outcomes13. Yet, in spite of this, there remains a paucity of evidence in the literature as to what constitutes effective dementia training for physiotherapists and more importantly, what type of curriculum will translate into better patient care.
To identify studies that have evaluated physiotherapy dementia educational interventions.
To critically appraise included studies, in order to update the current evidence base.
To use the findings of the review to inform the design and delivery of a dementia educational programme for physiotherapists.
The review will consider studies that include dementia education or training for both qualified physiotherapists and student physiotherapists. It will also include studies that looked at multi-disciplinary dementia training only if physiotherapy was an included profession.
The proposed scoping review is designed to explore education and training for physiotherapists working in dementia care. Therefore all studies with a focus on any aspect of physiotherapy education and training will be considered. As defined by the World Healthcare Organisation, knowledge translation is “the synthesis, exchange, and application of knowledge by relevant stakeholders to accelerate the benefits of global and local innovation in strengthening health systems and improving people’s health”14. Knowledge translation needs to move beyond the simple dissemination of knowledge to the actual use of knowledge. Within the Cochrane Collaboration, the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group (EPOC) review the effects of knowledge translation activities15 and have explored the effectiveness of professional behaviour change strategies. The EPOC give clear definitions of education meetings, education outreach and audit and feedback15. The authors will be guided by the EPOC to ensure the inclusion of studies that meet the definition of these educational interventions.
This scoping review aims to establish the breadth and extent of the current literature published on dementia training for physiotherapists and student physiotherapists. Therefore, studies conducted in any setting (acute/primary care/residential care) or any educational setting in any geographical location will be considered. The WHO describes primary care as “first contact, accessible, continued, comprehensive and co-ordinated care”16.
This scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews17. This protocol was registered with Open Science Framework on 26 October 2020.
As recommended in the JBI guidelines, a three step search strategy will be used17. The first step, which has already been completed, involved a broad search of Medline (via EBSCO) and CINAHL using keywords for physiotherapy, dementia and education. This initial search was then followed by an analysis of the text words found in the identified titles and abstracts18,19. This ensured that relevant literature was captured. The search strategy was developed by one reviewer (TOS) with assistance from a librarian in University College Cork. The final search strategy for CINAHL is presented in Table 1. The final step in the search strategy will include a detailed search of the reference lists of identified studies. Databases to be searched as part of this review include: Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and SocINDEX. Google Scholar and Open-Grey will be searched for grey literature. Only studies published in English will be considered.
Date of Search: 19/09/20.
Following the search, all identified citations will be collated and uploaded to EndNote X9.2 and duplicates removed. Titles and abstracts will then be reviewed independently by two reviewers (TOS and TF) for assessment against inclusion criteria. Where uncertainty occurs, a third reviewer (JMcV) will be consulted. The full texts of selected studies will be then screened for inclusion. Full text studies that do not meet the inclusion criteria will be excluded and reasons for exclusion recorded. The results of this search will be comprehensively detailed and reported in a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) flow diagram20,21.
Data extraction will focus on identifying and charting data relating to physiotherapy education in dementia care. Data will be extracted using a draft data extraction tool based on the JBI data extraction tool17. The data extracted will include study characteristics such as author, year, type of study, publication title, country, clinical setting, participants, purpose, education content, mode of delivery, key findings, barriers and facilitators to learning and limitations. The Kirkpatrick Framework22, a hierarchy of evaluation of training, will be used to classify data extracted. The Kirkpatrick Framework22 was chosen as it is widely used to evaluate educational interventions in healthcare. The four level model outlined by Kirkpatrick comprises of 1) reaction, 2) learning, 3) behaviour and 4) results22. The draft data extraction tool will be independently piloted on three papers by two reviewers (TOS, JMcV) and modified where necessary. Modifications will be detailed in the full scoping review report. Data will be extracted by one reviewer (TOS) and reviewed by another reviewer. Any disagreements that arise will be resolved through discussion or with a third reviewer. Missing or additional data will be obtained by contacting study authors where required.
A chronological narrative synthesis of the data will outline how the results relate to the aims and objective of this scoping review. The review will characterise what constitutes effective dementia care training for physiotherapists, the various teaching and learning approaches used and the outcomes of the training intervention. Kirkpatrick’s framework will be used to report the effectiveness of the educational intervention. This will involve looking at reaction and satisfaction of participants, learning and knowledge, participants behaviour and patient outcomes. The various dementia training interventions will be tabulated in suitable categories.
The findings of this review will be disseminated in several ways. The scoping review will be published in an international peer reviewed journal, the results will also be presented at national and international conferences. More locally, the findings of the review will be disseminated through the Dementia Research Network Ireland (DRNI) and to clinical colleagues in the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The authors wish to acknowledge Donna O’ Doibhlin, librarian, University College Cork who assisted in developing the search strategy.
Is the rationale for, and objectives of, the study clearly described?
Yes
Is the study design appropriate for the research question?
Yes
Are sufficient details of the methods provided to allow replication by others?
Yes
Are the datasets clearly presented in a useable and accessible format?
Yes
Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
Reviewer Expertise: safeguarding, public health, older people, missed care
Is the rationale for, and objectives of, the study clearly described?
Yes
Is the study design appropriate for the research question?
Yes
Are sufficient details of the methods provided to allow replication by others?
Yes
Are the datasets clearly presented in a useable and accessible format?
Not applicable
Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
Reviewer Expertise: Dementia care, policy, education and psychosocial interventions
Is the rationale for, and objectives of, the study clearly described?
Yes
Is the study design appropriate for the research question?
Yes
Are sufficient details of the methods provided to allow replication by others?
Yes
Are the datasets clearly presented in a useable and accessible format?
Not applicable
Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
Reviewer Expertise: physiotherapy; dementia care; systematic reviews
Alongside their report, reviewers assign a status to the article:
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