Implementation of STAR-VA for behavioral symptoms of dementia in acute care: Lessons learned.
Hannah M Bashian, Julia T Boyle, Seneca Correa and 8 others
PMID 38452494WHAT IT FOUND
Nurse-led behavior plans were created for seven veterans with dementia on one acute care unit.
The report says emergency calls decreased, but there was no comparison group.
Key findings
01In seven months, eight behavior plans were created for seven unique patients on the acute care unit.
02The implementation report described rapid behavior plans and a decrease in emergency assistance calls for BPSD, but two patients required emergent assistance after a plan.
03Of 42 nursing staff, 32 (76%) attended at least one educational rounding or received education from the nurse champion and psychologist.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a quality improvement report from one 22-bed acute care unit, not a controlled trial. Only seven unique patients had behavior plans, so patient results are very small. The paper does not report a comparison group, so changes after implementation cannot be separated from usual acute care, possible anti-psychotic medication, and 1:1 observation. The nursing needs assessment was anonymous, voluntary, self-reported, and completed by 25 of 42 staff. Education reach counts may miss informal teaching, and the paper says the numbers do not include it. Sustainment was described as early and ongoing, so long-term results were not shown.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that STAR-VA reduces behavioral symptoms in acute care. This was a single-unit quality improvement report with seven patients and no comparison group.