Elements of a sustainable, competent, and empathetic workforce to support patients with dementia during an acute hospital stay: A comprehensive literature review

Internationally, there has been a focus on the development of acute hospital workforces to support and care for people with dementia. Recommendations and initiatives to improve person‐centred care in acute hospitals have included: education and training, dementia‐specific roles, clinical leads, and environment changes. The aim of this literature review is to understand the elements of a sustainable, competent, and empathetic acute hospital workforce providing person‐centred care for patients with dementia. The following databases were searched for literature published in English from January 1, 2006, to August 1, 2016: CINHAL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, PubMed, and Science Direct. A thematic analysis was applied to develop a meta‐synthesis of the data. A total of 12 papers with a range of methodological approaches from various countries were included. Emergent themes were as follows: understanding the current workforce, implementation and evaluation of training, and exploration of new and existing roles. An important element was the sustainability of acute hospital workforces competent in dementia care, as studies highlighted an ageing nursing population and a high turnover of staff. Dementia awareness training was sustainable, although there was a lack of consistency in the length, content, and delivery, which had a viable impact on the provision of empathetic and person‐centred care. The lack of consistency of training and specialist dementia roles restricts recommendations from a robust evidence base.