Effects of Dementia Care Mapping on job satisfaction and caring skills of staff caring for older people with intellectual disabilities: A quasi-experimental study.
Feija D Schaap, Evelyn J Finnema, Roy E Stewart and 2 others
PMID 31087472WHAT IT FOUND
Dementia Care Mapping did not improve job satisfaction, person-centred care skills, or dementia care competence in staff caring for older people with intellectual disabilities.
Baseline scores were already very high, leaving little room for measurable improvement.
Key findings
01There were no significant differences between the DCM group and the control group in any primary outcome (job satisfaction, person-centred care skills, or quality of dementia care) at either follow-up point.
02Staff in the intervention group scored very high on job satisfaction at baseline, one standard deviation higher than the general norm population, which likely created a ceiling effect that masked any potential benefit.
03The study found no evidence that DCM increases job satisfaction or working skills, leading the authors to question whether it should be implemented for these specific staff outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied entirely on staff self-report, which may have introduced bias and failed to capture subtle changes in actual care quality. Baseline job satisfaction and person-centred care scores were already very high (ceiling effect), making it statistically difficult to detect any improvement. The intervention was delivered by newly trained mappers, which might have weakened the impact compared to using experienced external mappers. The groups were not perfectly balanced at baseline, with the DCM group having more clients with severe disabilities and dementia diagnoses, though adjustments did not alter the null results.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that DCM is ineffective at improving actual care quality or resident outcomes. The study measured staff perceptions of their own skills and satisfaction, which were already high at baseline. A null result here does not rule out benefits for the people with intellectual disabilities themselves.