Interprofessional collaboration in palliative dementia care

ABSTRACT

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is essential for high-quality palliative care (PC) for persons with dementia. The aim of this scoping review was to identify IPC approaches in palliative dementia care and explore the elements constituting these approaches. We performed a search in PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychINFO using the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers’ manual and PRISMA guidelines, and conducted content analysis of the included articles. In total, 28 articles were included, which described 16 IPC approaches in palliative dementia care. The content analysis revealed three overall elements of these approaches: 1) collaborative themes, 2) collaborative processes, and 3) resources facilitating collaboration. Frequently reported collaborative themes embraced pain management and providing care in the dying phase. These themes were addressed through intertwined collaborative processes including communication, coordination, assessing and monitoring, and reflecting and evaluating. To ensure optimal IPC in palliative dementia care, various resources were required, such as PC knowledge, skills to manage symptoms, skills to communicate with collaborators, and a facilitating environment. In conclusion, the identified IPC approaches in palliative dementia care involve diverse collaborating professionals who mainly manage symptoms, prepare for the dying phase and require material and immaterial resources to enable optimal IPC in palliative dementia care.

KEYWORDS:

• Dementia
• interprofessional collaboration
• nursing home
• palliative care: home care

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank specialist scientific information officer Gregory Franssen from the Department of Educational Development and Research, Maastricht University, for his contribution in providing feedback regarding the search strategy.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2024.2345828

Notes

1. A stands for approaches. In this article, we use A to indicate the number of IPC approaches.

2. N is not provided.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (Grant agreement no. 844001405), which had no role in the study design, analysis and documentation of the results.

Notes on contributors

C Khemai

Khemai C. studied biomedical sciences (BSc), and vitality and ageing (MSc) at the Leiden University. She has worked as a junior programme officer at a joint programming initiative at the Netherlands Organisation for Health research and development focusing on elderly care. She finished her PhD at the DEDICATED project focusing on interprofessional collaboration in palliative care for people with dementia regarding home to nursing home transitions and advance care planning in nursing homes. Currently, she is working as a senior policy officer at the Ministery of Health, Welfare and Sport.

D.L.L Leão

Leão D.L.L. is a PhD student at the Department of Health Services Research, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University. Background in International Business and Healthcare Policy, Innovation and Management. Research focused on Value-based Payment models, within Value-based Healthcare, with four articles published and three under submission.

D.J.A Janssen

Janssen D.J.A. is professor of medicine for older people at Maastricht University. Additionally, she is working in Ciro, Horn as elderly care physician and palliative care physician. She is supervising several Ph.D. students, who perform various projects to better understand and address the (palliative) care needs of frail older people and patients with advanced chronic diseases.

J.M.G.A Schols

Schols J.M.G.A. is professor of Community Geriatrics at Maastricht University. His research areas are frailty and sarcopenia, geriatric rehabilitation, epidemiology of and interventions for medical problems in long-term care and transformation issues within the chronic care sector. He is (co-) author of a large number of scientific articles and reviewer for several international journals and scientific funding organizations. He is also member of several national and international boards including the Health Council of the Netherlands (Dutch advisory board for the ministry).

J.M.M Meijers

Meijers J.M.M. is an associate professor and teacher at Maastricht University and senior policy offer at the Zuyderland care organization. She is also a nurse, health scientist and epidemiologist, and a visiting professor at the University of Alberta. She focusses on many projects aimed to improve the quality of palliative care and the last phase of life for elderly. One of these projects is the DEDICATED project, of which she is the project leader.