Efficacy of the CARES® Dementia 5-Step Method for Hospitals™ Online Training and Certification Program for hospital staff.
John V Hobday, Joseph E Gaugler, Lisa K Joly and 5 others
PMID 39418921WHAT IT FOUND
Hospital staff who completed an online dementia training reported improved sense of competence, positive approaches to dementia, and perceptions of patient care compared to a control group.
The study measured staff self-reports, not actual patient outcomes or adverse events.
Key findings
01Participants in the training group showed statistically significant improvements in sense of competence, approaches to dementia, and perceptions of patient care compared to controls.
02The study did not measure actual patient outcomes or adverse events, focusing instead on staff perceptions as intermediary mechanisms.
03The sample consisted mostly of lab and X-ray technicians rather than the nursing assistants and allied health workers the program was designed for.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study did not use intention-to-treat analysis; participants who dropped out were excluded, which can bias results. The sample was overwhelmingly lab and X-ray technicians (91.9%), not the nursing assistants and allied health workers the program was designed for, limiting generalizability to frontline care staff. All outcomes were self-reported by staff; no objective measures of patient care quality or health outcomes were assessed. The study design was changed from a hospital-based cluster trial to an individual-level recruitment strategy due to low hospital participation, which may affect how results are interpreted. The authors note that the study could not determine if these staff perceptions actually led to improved patient outcomes or reduced adverse events.
Declared interests
The authors declared no known competing financial interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this training improved actual patient care or reduced adverse events like falls or delirium. The study only measured staff self-reported feelings of competence and attitudes, and the participants were mostly technicians, not the frontline nursing assistants the program targets.