Occupation-based differences in shared perceptions of older resident needs within multidisciplinary care teams: a cross-sectional study of care workers, nurses, and therapists linked to older residents.
Tomoko Ohura, Takahiro Higashi, Tatsuro Ishizaki and 1 others
PMID 29950782WHAT IT FOUND
Staff in Japanese care facilities disagreed with each other on what residents wanted.
They also missed autonomy needs, underestimating desires for household chores, money management, and exercise.
Key findings
01Care workers, nurses, and therapists significantly disagreed with each other on eight resident needs, including eating pace, dressing pace, and oral hygiene.
02All three staff groups underestimated residents' desire to cook, do laundry, and clean, while two of three groups underestimated desires for money management, role performance, and health exercises.
03Therapists underestimated basic self-care needs like bathing and dressing more than other staff, possibly because they focus on physical performance rather than patient autonomy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used non-random sampling and focused on late-stage older women in a limited number of Japanese facilities, which may not apply to other populations. Therapists and nurses were responsible for many more residents than care workers, which may have affected the depth of their individual assessments. Doctors and care managers were excluded from the analysis, so the findings do not reflect the full multidisciplinary team.
Declared interests
The work was supported by a grant from the Welfare and Medical Service Agency and performed by a non-profit organization. Some authors received honoraria from the performing organization, though the authors declared no other financial or personal conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that therapists are better at recognizing resident needs than care workers. The study found therapists significantly underestimated basic self-care desires like bathing and dressing compared to other staff.