A Study Proposing a Data Model for a Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) Data Warehouse for Potential Secondary Uses of Dementia Care Data

There is growing emphasis on sharing and reusing dementia care-related datasets to improve the quality of dementia care. Consequently, there is a need to develop data management solutions for collecting, integrating and storing these data in formats that enhance opportunities for reuse. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is an observational tool that is in widespread use internationally. It produces rich, evidence-based data on dementia care quality. Currently, that data is primarily used locally, within dementia care services, to assess and improve quality of care. Information-rich DCM data provides opportunities for secondary use including research into improving the quality of dementia care. But an effective data management solution is required to facilitate this. A rationale for the warehousing of DCM data as a technical data management solution is suggested. The authors also propose a data model for a DCM data warehouse and present user-identified challenges for reusing DCM data within a warehouse.