Person-Centered Communication for Nursing Home Residents With Dementia: Four Communication Analysis Methods.
Kristine N Williams, Yelena Perkhounkova, Ying-Ling Jao and 5 others
PMID 28335698WHAT IT FOUND
Brief training significantly reduced patronizing speech in nursing assistants immediately after and at 3 months.
It did not significantly improve respectful tone or personal topics. Diminutives like 'honey' were easiest to change; other communication aspects remained static.
Key findings
01Behavioral analysis showed a significant decrease in elderspeak use immediately after training and at 3-month follow-up.
02The intervention did not produce statistically significant changes in emotional tone or person-centered communication topics.
03Reduction in diminutives (e.g., 'honey') was significant immediately post-intervention but not at follow-up, suggesting a need for booster sessions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis focused only on CNAs, excluding registered nurses, so it does not reflect changes in RN communication. The sample size was relatively small, particularly at follow-up, which may have reduced the ability to detect smaller changes in tone or topics. The study used conservative non-parametric statistics, which may have masked marginal improvements in person-centered communication. The intervention emphasized reducing elderspeak more than increasing positive person-centered topics, which may explain the null findings for topics. Effects on diminutives were not maintained at 3 months, indicating a need for booster sessions.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). No other specific conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the CHAT training failed to improve communication overall. It significantly reduced the most harmful and common feature, elderspeak. The null findings for tone and topics reflect that these are harder to change and were not the primary focus of the training's most effective components.